Community-based corrections: Offender characteristics and success in a halfway house
Prison crowding and tight correctional budgets over the past decade have sparked renewed interest in alternative or community-based sentencing options. These non-incarcerative sentences hold the potential for both reining in skyrocketing costs and also providing a more effective setting for rehabilitative interventions. One type of community-based program is the halfway house. Halfway houses are most often used to ease the transition of offenders from the prison to the community by providing temporary housing, job placement assistance, and other services. In addition, in many jurisdictions courts are sentencing offenders directly to halfway houses as a part of the conditions of probation. Past research suggests that some offenders may be better candidates for halfway house programs than others. Using data collected from closed, resident files at a halfway house in Las Vegas, Nevada, this study attempts to identify the predictors of success in halfway house programs. Findings suggest that older, white offenders, without histories of substance abuse were more likely to successfully complete the program. Direct court placement was also significantly related to success in the program.
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