Date of Award
12-18-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Daniel Pasciuti
Second Advisor
Deirdre Oakley
Third Advisor
Amy Spring
Abstract
Across criminal justice research, there is one key measure that is central to evaluating sentencing policies, rehabilitation programs, and the impact of criminal justice interventions: recidivism. Despite its prevalence, recidivism exhibits alarming inadequacies as a measure of post-release success through methodological inconsistencies, a theoretical misunderstanding of rehabilitation, and the reinforcement of systemic challenges. Relying on it as a success measure greatly impairs effective decision-making within the criminal justice system. In response, scholars have made calls to action to implement criminal desistance as an alternative. Theories of criminal desistance offer a refreshing new perspective on post-release success, focusing on the gradual process individuals undertake toward the cessation of criminal activity and utilizing a wider array of data across multiple life domains. In this exploratory analysis, I create a quantitative measure of criminal desistance and test it against traditional recidivism measures to evaluate its theoretical and quantitative capabilities.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/38057113
Recommended Citation
Cortelloni, Lucas M., "From Re-Carceration to De-Carceration: An Analysis of Alternative Measures to Recidivism." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2024.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/38057113
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