Of individuals released from incarceration in Jacksonville, approximately 27% will be convicted of another crime within 1 year. The probability of re-arrest increases dramatically as the individual accumulates arrests over the years as well as with the earlier in life the individual was first arrested. The Jacksonville Re-Entry Center (JREC) provides services to address the immediate needs of the returning citizen such as food support, housing, and employment services. A variety of motivational and social factors influence whether an individual makes a successful transition to community life through re-entry programs.  

In 2019, we partnered with Bexar County Juvenile Probation Program to investigate predictors of recidivism for juvenile offenders. One key question of this project is the extent to which social connections either mitigate or promote juvenile re-offense. We will use a multivariate approach to address dimensions of social support and their relationship with recidivism.