Exploring the Intersection of Mental Health and Release Status with Recidivism

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore how the intersection of offenders' mental health (MH) problems and release statuses impacts recidivism. We examined three-years of postrelease recidivism data for former inmates that reintegrated into New Jersey communities in 2006 (n = 10,777). We constructed Cox regression models predicting various forms of criminal and non-criminal recidivism including rearrests, reconvictions, parole revocations, and a combined measure of rearrests and parole revocations. In addition to models that included all returning offenders, we constructed smaller models that isolated the impact of MH problems for parolees and unconditionally released inmates as well as the impact of supervision status for inmates with and without MH problems. Our results indicate that parole supervision can aid those with MH concerns in making a successful transition into the community. Parole decreased the likelihood of experiencing a new arrest by 30% while controlling for MH problems and MH problems increased the likelihood of experiencing a new arrest by 20% while controlling for release status. Findings are discussed within the contexts of service availability and case management.