When Prison Becomes the Devil’s Workshop: The Association Between Idleness and Post-Release Employment, Recidivism, and Mortality
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 parti...
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| Contributors: | ; |
| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
2025
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| In: |
Crime & delinquency
Year: 2025, Volume: 71, Issue: 5, Pages: 1359-1387 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Keywords: |
| Summary: | 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. |
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| ISSN: | 1552-387X |
| DOI: | 10.1177/00111287231210836 |