The Postrelease Trauma Thesis

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Abstract
The postrelease trauma thesis is that during the time immediately following release from prison the offender faces particular stress, which often cul minates in renewed criminal activity. Although this thesis enjoys almost uni versal acceptance by criminologists, it can be questioned on several grounds. First, from an importation perspective, entry into or exit from the prison community may not represent a major break in the felon's life; his role may be seen as remaining continuous before, during, and after imprisonment. Sec ond, the failure to reduce recidivism through programs designed to ease the transition from prison to community suggests that they may, by nature, be superfluous. Third, the most common way of reporting parole violation data overstates the risk during the early parole period relative to later periods. Finally, the social organization of parole work makes apprehension of vio lators more likely during early months than it is later on, regardless of the parolee's behavior. These issues suggest the need to exercise caution in the interpretation of parole statistics. More generally, they suggest that the postrelease trauma thesis itself should not be accepted without extensive and rigorous empirical examination.

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