RT Article
T1 When Prison Becomes the Devil’s Workshop: The Association Between Idleness and Post-Release Employment, Recidivism, and Mortality
JF Crime & delinquency
VO 71
IS 5
SP 1359
OP 1387
A1 Duwe, Grant 1971-
A2 Clark, Valerie
A2 McNeeley, Susan M.
LA English
YR 2025
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1923710370
AB The existing literature has yet to examine the system-wide effects of idleness and participation in prison-based work and programing on multiple post-release outcomes. Using a sample of more than 77,000 releases from Minnesota prisons between 2010 and 2021, we examined the relationship between participation in prison labor and programing on post-release employment, recidivism, and mortality. The findings suggest that how people spend their time in prison significantly affects their chances of finding a job, their likelihood of recidivism, and how long they live following release from prison. As involvement in work and/or programing increased, the people released from prison were more likely to find employment while also having a reduced risk for recidivism and mortality.
K1 idleness
K1 Employment
K1 Mortality
K1 Recidivism
K1 Prison
DO 10.1177/00111287231210836