OPEN REGIME, CONDITIONAL RELEASE AND RESETTLEMENT

THE PROPOSAL IS AIMED AT RESEARCHING THE MECHANISMS THAT EXPLAIN THE EFFECTIVENESS OF OPEN REGIME AND CONDITIONAL RELEASE IN ACHIEVING RESETTLEMENT. WE UNDERSTAND THAT A PERSON WITH AN OFFENDER CAREER IS RESETTLED WHEN HE/SHE IS ABLE TO AVOID REOFFENDING -PRIMARY DESISTANCE- ASSUMES A CONVENTIONAL IDENTITY -SECONDARY DESISTANCE- AND HE/SHE IS REINTEGRATED IN SOCIETY (FAMILY, WORK, COMMUNITY) -TERTIARY DESISTANCE-. THE BASELINE OF THE PROPOSAL IS THE RESEARCH CARRIED OUT IN OUR PREVIOUS PROJECT “IMPRISONMENT AND REOFFENDING”, IN WHICH WE CONCLUDED THAT ENDING THE SENTENCE IN OPEN REGIME OR IN CONDITIONAL RELEASE WAS THE KEY FACTOR IN REDUCING THE RISK OF RECIDIVISM. AFTER A LITERATURE REVIEW, WE HAVE SELECTED FOUR POSSIBLE MECHANISMS THAT MAY EXPLAIN THE POSITIVE IMPACT OF OPEN REGIME AND PAROLE ON RECIDIVISM: A) INCREASE THE STAKE IN CONFORMITY BECAUSE OF + JOB SETTLEMENT, B) COGNITIVE TRANSFORMATION DUE TO MODELLING AND REINFORCEMENT BY SUPERVISORS; C) MORAL DUTY TO CHANGE FOR THE SUPPORT RECEIVED; D) DIACHRONIC SELF-CONTROL BASED ON THE SURVEILLANCE. THE RESEARCH WILL BE CARRIED OUT IN TWO DIFFERENT SPANISH AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITIES (CATALONIA AND MADRID). WE HAVE DESIGNED A QUALITATIVE METHODOLOGY, PROPOSING A TYPOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF A SAMPLE OF OFFENDERS SERVING THE PRISON SENTENCE IN OPEN REGIME OR IN CONDITIONAL RELEASE. THE TYPOLOGY HAS BEEN BUILT WITH THREE AXES THAT, BESIDES THE WAY OF ENDING THE PRISON SENTENCE, WERE ASSOCIATED WITH THE OUTCOME OF RECIDIVISM: AGE AT FIRST IMPRISONMENT (YOUNG OR YOUNG ADULT); ABUSE OF DRUGS AND ALCOHOL (PRESENT OR ABSENT); CRIMINAL FAMILY OR PEERS (PRESENT OR ABSENT). IN EACH OF THE TWO SETTINGS, 40 CASES COVERING THE DIFFERENT PROFILES, WILL BE SELECTED AND BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION WILL BE COLLECTED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH OFFENDERS AND SUPERVISORS. THE AIM OF THE ANALYSIS WILL CONSIST ON IDENTIFYING THE MECHANISMS OF CHANGE THAT APPEAR AND COMPARE THE DIFFERENT PROFILES. THE RESEARCH SHOULD BE USEFUL TO IMPROVE THE PRACTICE OF SUPERVISION FOCUSING THE INTERVENTION ON THOSE MECHANISMS THAT EXPLAIN CHANGE. MOREOVER, THE PROPOSAL MAY CONTRIBUTE TO THE EXTENSION OF COMMUNITY CONTROL, REPLACING CUSTODIAL SENTENCES.