Introduction
One of the major reasons for recidivism among people who served out a prison term is their inability to adapt to life within the community. Various reintegrating programs developed are aimed at assisting inmates (as well as former prisoners) to develop the necessary skills to live in the community (Latessa, Listwan & Koetzle, 2014; McClure et al., 2015). These programs may focus on religious values (Hallet & Johnson, 2014). These programs may often concentrate on the provision of professional training. At the same time, many programs are rather inefficient as the rate of recidivism is quite high (Berg & Huebner, 2011). It has been acknowledged that inmates respond better to programs that involve the development of family ties (visitation of children and so on). This study will evaluate a corrective program that focuses on family links, which will also help to identify reasons of recidivism and weaknesses of as well as possible ways to improve the program.
Purpose Statement
The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the program and ways to improve it through analysis of attitudes as well as personal performance during and after the program among female inmates. Some recommendations on ways to improve the measures will be included. The study will be based on the mixed research method and, the rate of successful participants in the program (those who reintegrated fully) as well as particular attitudes and ideas of (former) inmates concerning the program.
Research Question
After the completion of the program, are mothers or female guardians less likely to break the law?
Hypothesis
After the end of the program, mothers and female guardians are less likely to break the law.
This is a measurable hypothesis, and a review of the inmates’ performance during and after the program, as well as an analysis of their attitudes, will help to reveal the efficacy of the program.
Research Plan
It is acknowledged that females are more attached to their children than males are. Thus, 50 women aged between 18 and 45 years old who have one child or more will take part in the study. The females will complete questionnaires before, during and after the program. Five inmates participating in the programs and five women who have completed a program and have been released for at least three months will be interviewed. These qualitative data will help identify the attitudes of participants of the program. Since this is mixed-method research, quantitative data will also be collected. Records on the rate of recidivism among those who completed the program will be analyzed. The records of females who have been released for six or more months will be included.
The independent variables are the program, the number of children and age. The dependent variables are the number of children’s visits, components of the program, family ties.
To ensure the validity of the research, some measures will be undertaken. Thus, triangulation, member checks, and thick descriptions will be utilized. It is also necessary to note that such threats to internal validity as selection, history, and attrition. To diminish these threats, the researcher will make sure that participants are chosen randomly among people who have similar characteristics. All factors that can affect the participants’ behavior will be taken into account and mentioned during the interviews and questionnaire. The inmates will be encouraged to complete the program. Written consent will be acquired. Anonymity and confidentiality will be ensured.
References
Berg, M.T., & Huebner, B.M. (2011). Reentry and the ties that bind: An examination of social ties, employment, and recidivism. Justice Quarterly, 28(2), 382-410.
Hallet, M., & Johnson, B. (2014). The resurgence of religion in America’s prisons. Religions, 5(1), 663-683.
Latessa, E.J., Listwan, S.J., & Koetzle, D. (2014). What works (and doesn’t) in reducing recidivism. New York, NY: Routledge.
McClure, H.H., Shortt, J.W., Eddy, J.M., Holmes, A., Van Uum, S., Russell, E., … Martinez, C.R. (2015). Associations among mother-child contact, parenting stress, and mother and child adjustment related to incarceration. In J. Poehlmann-Tynan (Ed.), Children’s contact with incarcerated parents: Implications for policy and intervention (pp. 59-83). New York, NY: Springer.