Multiagency support is considered crucial in the successful resettlement of prisoners. Various prison-based and community-based professionals should each play a part in supporting prisoners through... Show moreMultiagency support is considered crucial in the successful resettlement of prisoners. Various prison-based and community-based professionals should each play a part in supporting prisoners through the gate regarding employment, housing, financial problems, healthcare or valid identification issues. Yet, little is known about the actual contribution of this support to a better perceived re-entry preparedness among prisoners. To examine the association between professional support and re-entry preparedness, the current study uses self-reported data from 1442 soon-to-be-released prisoners across 26 Dutch institutions. We include general satisfaction with support, and satisfaction with the specific instrumental support received, and compare prisoners who did and did not have reintegration needs prior to imprisonment. Support was positively related to re-entry preparedness for prisoners who had needs prior to imprisonment, and instrumental support from community-based professionals showed the most robust results. The implications and future recommendations are discussed. Show less
The nature of prison visits is likely to explain differences in visitation effects, but has received little research attention. Unique survey data of the Dutch Prison Visitation Study enable us to... Show moreThe nature of prison visits is likely to explain differences in visitation effects, but has received little research attention. Unique survey data of the Dutch Prison Visitation Study enable us to provide a first systematic account of the nature of visits, by describing the topics of conversation and experienced feelings of both incarcerated individuals (n = 787) and visitors (n = 662). Results indicate much variation in feelings (positive and negative) and topics of conversation (emotional and problem-solving topics), a strong link between topics and feelings, and show that visitors have more negative visitation experiences than incarcerated individuals. These insights into the nature of visits help to uncover the black box of prison visitation and provide directions for future research. Show less
Hall, M. van; Dirkzwager, A.J.E.; Laan, P.H. van der; Nieuwbeerta, P. 2022
This preliminary study had to address a number of key questions: What is the expected effect on the individual concerned and on society as a whole of introducing into the legislation the option of... Show moreThis preliminary study had to address a number of key questions: What is the expected effect on the individual concerned and on society as a whole of introducing into the legislation the option of imposing a substitute community service order on an offender who fails to pay a fine issued under criminal law? What positive and negative consequences can be expected, and what are the grounds for these expectations? These questions have been studied by consulting relevant literature and documents, including parliamentary documents, analysing Central Judicial Collection Agency (CJIB) data and conducting 23 interviews with key individuals and experts within criminal law for youth and adult offenders. Show less
