PurposeLittle is known about how ex-prisoners’ parole supervision experiences support or hinder the process of desistance. The aim of this article is to analyse the nature of parole supervision of... Show morePurposeLittle is known about how ex-prisoners’ parole supervision experiences support or hinder the process of desistance. The aim of this article is to analyse the nature of parole supervision of Dutch (ex-)long-term prisoners in terms of official conditions, as well as the way in which parole officers (POs) and ex-prisoners navigate these conditions. The focus is particularly on the experienced supervision style and how this interacts with different dimensions of efforts at desistance.MethodsTwenty-three Dutch parolees were interviewed in depth at three waves starting in prison up to one year after their release from prison. A thematic analysis was undertaken to analyse the 69 interviews. In addition, the parole files of these ex-prisoners were examined containing information about conditions, violations and sanctions.ResultsParole files revealed the practice of highly engaged parole officers, who worked with parolees to strengthen factors known to foster desistance and tried to accommodate the difficulties of navigating ‘life outside’ after a relatively long prison sentence. However, the interviews showed that most parolees found their parole experience predominantly surveillance-oriented and not very helpful for desistance. Parole was experienced as most beneficial when parole officers were viewed as social workers or mentors and used their discretionary power to adjust conditions creating ‘space’ for trial-and-error.ConclusionsThis longitudinal study suggests that a policy culture and discourse of risk management do not necessarily preclude desistance support in parole supervision in the Netherlands, due to discretionary power of parole officers. Show less
Recent attention has been paid to the role of a positive outlook in early stages of the desistance process. The aim of this article is to examine prisoners’ own expectations regarding future... Show moreRecent attention has been paid to the role of a positive outlook in early stages of the desistance process. The aim of this article is to examine prisoners’ own expectations regarding future offending before they are released, and why these expectations come true or not after their release from prison. Longitudinal data were used from in-depth interviews with 24 prisoners who were interviewed at the end of their sentence and three months after release about their future outlook on criminal activities, social capital and agency factors, and current criminal activities. Findings suggest a strong connection between criminal and non-criminal expectations and post-release criminal behavior. Show less
Berg, C. van den; Beijersbergen, K.; Nieuwbeerta, P.; Dirkzwager, A. 2017
Empirical literature has revealed that social isolation can affect the rehabilitation of sex offenders after serving their sentence. This process of social isolation can already start during... Show moreEmpirical literature has revealed that social isolation can affect the rehabilitation of sex offenders after serving their sentence. This process of social isolation can already start during incarceration due to strained relationships with fellow prisoners and correctional staff. The current study examined to what extent sex offenders felt socially isolated during incarceration, using survey and registered conviction data on a large sample of male adult prisoners from the Prison Project. It was found that support from and relationships with correctional officers and fellow prisoners were perceived less positive by sex offenders than nonsex offenders. No evidence was found for higher levels of loneliness in sex offenders compared with prisoners convicted for a nonsexual offense. In sum, although the effects were small, sex offenders reported more social isolation during imprisonment compared with nonsex offenders. Show less
Ramakers, A.; Nobbe, P.; Nieuwbeerta, P.; Dirkzwager, A. 2017
Off-the-books employment following release from prison Prior re-entry studies used administrative data to conclude that post-release employment rates are low. These studies may however... Show moreOff-the-books employment following release from prison Prior re-entry studies used administrative data to conclude that post-release employment rates are low. These studies may however underestimate ex-prisoners’ labour market participation as especially ex-prisoners are expected to work off-the-books. A prison record might for instance create a legal ban on certain occupations, pushing them towards the informal labour market. This study combines administrative with interview data to examine the prevalence and relative importance of informal employment among former prisoners in the Netherlands (N = 738). Multiple measurement strategies show that a substantial part of these men work off-the-books. About forty percent of these workers rely on it as their primary source of income, but many combine it with a formal job or social benefits. These findings raise concern and show that many post-prison jobs currently do not come to the attention of scholars or governmental organizations. Show less
Raaijmakers, E.; Keijser, J.W. de; Nieuwbeerta, P.; Dirkzwager, A. 2017
Ex-prisoners’ recidivism risks are high. Several theories state that employment can reduce these risks but emphasize that the protective role of employment is conditional on job qualities (work... Show moreEx-prisoners’ recidivism risks are high. Several theories state that employment can reduce these risks but emphasize that the protective role of employment is conditional on job qualities (work intensity, job duration, etc.). Longitudinal research on the role of employment in ex-prisoners’ recidivism patterns is scarce, and most existing work used a simplistic employment measure (i.e., employed vs. unemployed), leaving the topic of job quality underexplored. This study examines the association between employment characteristics and recidivism among Dutch ex-prisoners. Using longitudinal data of the Prison Project (n = 714), we found that not just any job, but particularly stable employment and jobs with a higher occupational level could help reduce crime rates among these high-risk offenders. Many ex-prisoners face a human capital deficit that complicates the guidance to high-quality jobs. It might, however, be possible to help place ex-prisoners in stable employment. Show less
Wensveen, M.; Palmen, J.M.H.; Ramakers, A.A.T.; Dirkzwager, A.; Nieuwbeerta, P. 2016
