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Going straight home? Housing stability and post-prison reoffending in Aotearoa New Zealand

Author/s

Alice Mills, Anika Terry, Cinnamon Lindsay Latimer, Barry Milne

Abstract

International research has found that post-release stable accommodation is associated with reduced recidivism, however, research exploring this relationship in Aotearoa New Zealand and its potential causal nature is limited.

Drawing on quantitative pre- and post-release interviews with people released from prison in Aotearoa New Zealand, this article examines their housing situations and the relationship between two measures of recidivism (re-sentencing and re-imprisonment) and two measures of housing stability (stable housing and residential mobility). Whilst stable housing is associated with a reduced risk of re-imprisonment, after controlling for confounding variables using inverse probability of treatment weighting, a direct causal relationship between housing stability and recidivism could not be found.

We conclude that housing stability is therefore likely to be indicative of broader stability post-release and supports other factors related to successful reintegration, including the development of social capital.

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