Graduation Year

2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

Degree Granting Department

Criminology

Major Professor

Bryanna Fox, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Richard Moule, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Joan Reid, Ph.D.

Committee Member

Alex Piquero, Ph.D.

Keywords

Recidivism, Mental Health, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Recidivism should be a major concern, particularly for American jails. The Unites States incarcerates 2.3 million people, a number exceeding rates in any other country. Approximately 90% of those individuals will reenter society at some point, and roughly half of those people will ultimately return to jail. This revolving door costs U.S. taxpayers upwards of $39 billion per year, and undermines public safety. Therefore, breaking this cycle of incarceration and recidivism is of utmost concern, and the focus of this dissertation. Mental health problems, traumatic brain injury (TBI), and adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are three potential risk factors for recidivism that are identifiable and amenable to treatment. Much is known about static criminogenic risk, such as gender and socioeconomic status, but by their nature they are not as amenable to change. As such, if reentry and rehabilitation can focus on factors that can be improved through therapy and intervention we can decrease recidivism rates. Utilizing a framework from Developmental and Life-course Criminology, this study examines how mental health problems, TBI, and ACEs impact recidivism. Using a sample of incarcerated adults from a predominantly rural Florida county, this study utilizes a series of models to examine how mental health problems, TBI, and ACEs directly impact general and violent recidivism, and how they interact to jointly contribute to these forms of recidivism post-release.

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