Pathways to Recidivism for Women Released From Prison: A Mediated Model of Abuse, Mental Health Issues, and Substance Use

Abstract

This study uses structural equation modeling to determine whether there are direct and indirect relationships between childhood trauma and recidivism for 230 women from two state prisons in North Carolina. The researchers obtained a random sample from all women scheduled to be released between 30 and 120 days from data collection. Findings indicated that childhood trauma was not significantly related to recidivism for this sample, but there was an indirect relationship with depression being the intervening variable accounting for the relationship between childhood trauma and recidivism. Results lend support to the importance of addressing incarcerated women’s trauma before release, while also assessing for depression and using empirically supported interventions to treat depression when applicable.

Perpetrators at First, Victims at Last: Exploring the Consequences of Stigmatization on Ex-Convicts’ Mental Well-Being

“…Other scholars have also observed how stigmatization among ex-convicts often results in unemployment (Batastini et al, 2014), broken social ties , and mental health problems (Moore et al, 2013;Tewksbury, 2012). It is important to note here that substance use disorder and depression are not just mental health issues but are considered to be among the major causes of recidivism (Ostermann & Matejkowski, 2014;Tripodi et al, 2019). This raises concern because, in Ghana, just like a majority of the other sub-Saharan African countries, available data show an increasing rate of recidivism (notwithstanding acknowledged reoffending record-keeping problems).…”

Behavioral Health Interventions for Incarcerated Adults With Histories of Trauma: A Scoping Review

“…There are programs that indirectly target mental health issues by addressing specific areas of functioning, such as anger management and cognitive processes (Andersen & Sandberg, 2019;Dunne et al, 2018;Laursen & Henriksen, 2019). There are also specific treatments that target symptoms of trauma (Messina & Schepps, 2021;Petrillo, 2021;Rogers & Law, 2010), with the vast majority of these designed specifically for women (King, 2017;Tripodi et al, 2019b).…”

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Community Health Specialists Within Gender-Responsive Probation Supervision

“…Further, Gobeil et al (2016) found that gender-responsive programming had a significantly larger impact on women’s recidivism than gender-neutral programming; gender-neutral programming led to a 19% reduction in recidivism compared to 68% for gender-informed interventions. Tripodi et al (2019) work suggested that focusing on the intersection of childhood trauma, depression, and criminal behavior may help women develop coping skills and overall well-being that, in turn, will lessen the likelihood of recidivating. Lastly, gender-responsive risk/needs assessments have also demonstrated better accuracy in capturing additional criminogenic needs and strengths in comparison to gender-neutral (i.e., male-based) instruments (Skeem et al, 2016; Van Voorhis et al, 2008, 2013).…”