This study investigates the postrelease quality of life and reentry barriers among people sentenced to juvenile life and long sentences and then released. Findings are reported from a cross-sectional mixed-methods study, drawing on quantitative ( N = 78) and qualitative ( N = 46) data from a sample of people released from prison following a life or long sentence starting before the age of 18. Quantitative results indicate that more unmet reentry needs were associated with diminished well-being. Qualitative data illustrated the connection between reentry needs and quality of life, providing rich descriptions of how participants understood quality of life. Three major themes emerged: (1) “where to begin?”: barriers to reentry; (2) “my worst day out here is still better than my best day in prison”; and (3) “I’m not entitled to freedom.” Postrelease quality of life was shaped by both personal resilience and systemic oppression that continually constrained individuals’ freedom.
The Stalking and Obsessive Relational Intrusions Questionnaire (SORI-Q) was developed to assess a wide range of perpetrated and experienced stalking and obsessive relational intrusion (ORI) behaviors. A brief 16-item version was later proposed but lacks psychometric validation. The present study aimed to validate this brief form (SORI-Q-BF), focusing on perpetration items, using data from community and clinical samples ( N = 1,716). Factor structure, reliability, convergent and divergent validity, and measurement invariance across gender and samples were examined. Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling supported a three-factor structure (Hyper-intimacy, Confrontation, and Surveillance), splitting the original Domineering Control factor into two distinct dimensions. The scale showed good internal consistency, meaningful associations with related constructs, and measurement invariance across genders and groups. Overall, the SORI-Q-BF appears to be a reliable, valid, and efficient tool for assessing stalking and ORI behaviors in research and clinical settings.
This study examines the relationship between burnout and work engagement, and argues that depressive symptoms serve as a mediator between both constructs. We argue that burnout produces symptoms such as sadness, low motivation, withdrawal, and difficulty functioning, which then reduce work engagement. In examining this model, three subscales of work engagement (work vigor, dedication, and absorption) were used as the dependent variables, with data collected from a sample of 211 prison officers from Trinidad and Tobago in 2023. Structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that depressive symptoms partially mediated the impact of burnout on work vigor and work dedication, but did not serve as a mediator when work absorption was used as the endogenous variable. The implications of the findings are discussed.
This long-term evaluation of the 5-Key Reentry Model, a well-being-focused program that served people releasing from prison in South Carolina, indicates that program exposure, measured as the number of program sessions received, is associated with a longer time to post-release recidivism as measured by the first arrest, conviction, or incarceration incident. Participation in three interventions central to the 5-Key model—Now, Next, Later and Texas Christian University Healthy Thinking and Reducing Anger modules—are also associated with longer time to recidivism. Similarly, receipt of more program sessions was associated with a longer time to new conviction. These results are from an independent evaluation of the 5-Key Reentry program that examined recidivism outcomes for 161 people randomly assigned to participate in the 5-Key program and 136 people who received reentry services as usual.
Transportation insecurity is a key reentry concern for people on parole and affects their ability to meet supervision requirements and personal needs. An increasing body of scholarship indicates that people on parole experience digital inequality, or a lack of access to technology and digital literacy skills. However, the literature on parole, transportation, and reentry has not explored how the digitalization of transportation services impacts people on parole’s ability to overcome transportation disadvantage. The current study addresses this limitation by using interview data from 73 Black participants who are currently or were recently on parole to explore how digital inequality impacted their ability to use rideshare services and meet other transportation needs. The findings show that technology access and digital literacy can be barriers or facilitators to overcoming transportation disadvantage. Implications for addressing these issues are given.
