Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Incarcerated men, most of whom are recidivists, are disproportionately black. Much literature about prison ex-inmates reports on this disparity, yet little is known about racial disparity in recidivism rates among jail ex-inmates. This study examined recidivism rates and survival time (period from release date to rearrest) among male ex-inmates released from the Allegheny County Jail in Pennsylvania during 2003 who were tracked for three years (N = 12,545). Recidivism rates were compared across race using chi-square tests. Survival time was analyzed using survival analysis including Kaplan-Meier estimation with log-rank test and Cox's proportional hazard model. Findings showed that the overall three-year recidivism rate was 55.9%, and black men recidivated at a significantly higher rate than white men. Survival analysis also attested to racial disparity in recidivism, and black men recidivated in a shorter time frame than their white peers with the covariates age at release and length of stay in jail controlled. Interaction effects of race and the covariates were found to be significant. Research, policy, and practice implications are presented. KEY WORDS: incarceration; jail; racial disparity; recidivism; survival time ********** The increasing incarceration and recidivism rates in the United States marked by pronounced racial disparity are recognized economic and social burdens that need to be reversed (Pew Center on the States, 2009).Twenty-five percent of the world's inmates are in U.S. prisons and jails--despite the United States comprising only 5% of the total world population (International Center for Prison Studies, 2008). Most inmates are recidivists, who are disproportionately black men (Sabol, Minton, Minton Sabol M Mears, Wang, Hay, & Bales, 2008). …
Jung et al. (Wed,) studied this question.