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Mears, D. P., & Bales, W. D. (2009). Supermax Incarceration and Recidivism. Criminology. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1464881609
Since the early 1980s, supermax incarceration has emerged as a common feature of the American corrections landscape. This special type of high-cost housing, which involves extended isolation with little programming or contact with others, remains largely unevaluated and is of interest for three reasons. First, the study of supermax housing offers a unique opportunity to understand the factors related to the successful reentry of offenders back into society. Second, it affords an opportunity to test the claims, many of which are grounded in mainstream criminological theory, that have been made about the putative effects of supermax confinement. Third, it provides an empirical touchstone that can help inform policy debates about the merits of such confinement. Examining data from the Florida Department of Corrections, we test competing hypotheses about the effects of supermax housing on 3-year recidivism outcomes. We find evidence that supermax incarceration may increase violent recidivism but find no evidence of an effect of the duration of supermax incarceration or the recency of such incarceration to the time of release into society. We discuss the findings and their implications for theory, research, and policy.
Publication Note
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Mears, Daniel P., and William D. Bales. 2009. “Supermax Incarceration and Recidivism.” Criminology 47(4):801-836., which has been published in final form at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-9125.2009.00171.x. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving: http://olabout.wiley.com/WileyCDA/Section/id-828039.html#terms
Mears, D. P., & Bales, W. D. (2009). Supermax Incarceration and Recidivism. Criminology. Retrieved from http://purl.flvc.org/fsu/fd/FSU_libsubv1_scholarship_submission_1464881609