A Spatial Analysis of Risks and Resources for Reentry Youth

Approximately 100,000 juvenile offenders leave correctional facilities each year. The neighborhoods they settle into when they reenter the community can contribute to recidivism, according to a new study published in the inaugural issue of the Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research. The study uses spatial analysis to analyze reentry youth in Los Angeles County.

Researchers examined the rate of young offenders released into each of Los Angeles County’s 272 ZIP codes. They analyzed reentry information for 4,400 young offenders from the county’s 18 probation camps who had been released in 2007. They found that reentry rates were higher in neighborhoods with high levels of community violence and greater densities of alcohol outlets and vacant housing. The study also found a greater rate of reentry in ZIP codes with lower levels of education services and mental health services.

The researchers conclude by pressing for neighborhood prevention programs. They tie neighborhood prevention programs to a reduction in youth recidivism and argue that altering neighborhood structure, rather than focusing on individually oriented solutions, influences the youths’ offending behaviors.
 

Read the report.