Jails frequently experience a “revolving door” of repeat offenders who are characterized by high levels of criminogenic needs, but are not a high risk to commit violent, dangerous offenses. Identifying and addressing these needs can improve lives, improve public safety, and save tax dollars by reducing jailings of these individuals. More research is needed, however, regarding how various criminogenic needs are interrelated and result in returns to jail.
The Victimization Prior to Jail research brief examines issues such as victimization, mental illness, and substance use disorder in a large sample of persons assessed at intake at a Midwestern jail. Surprisingly, these criminogenic needs are fairly consistent across the males and females in the sample. However, complex patterns emerge in the interrelationships between these different types of needs. Future research should examine additional outcomes for jail samples and improve the implementation of reentry efforts that effectively match criminogenic needs to effective programming.