The Impact of Enhanced Resettlement Provision on Short-Term Prisoners: A Recidivism Study

This paper draws on previously unpublished data of a short-term prisoner resettlement initiative (Step-On) in two large prisons in the north of England in the United Kingdom (UK). A quasi-experimental design was used to compare a sample of 192 prisoners who underwent enhanced resettlement assistance with a matched sample of offenders who did not. The purpose was to examine whether the enhanced resettlement support across five ‘resettlement pathways’ led to lower levels of recidivism following release from prison. The analysis found that the experimental group with enhanced resettlement support was significantly less likely to reoffend compared with the matched control group, however, this positive effect only held during the ninety day post-release support period, after which there was no significant difference between groups. In addition to delayed re-offending, other benefits of the project saw a reduced severity of offence for those who did re-offend. These findings have policy and practice implications for the resourcing of resettlement provision in the UK and other jurisdictions.