Date of Conferral

2020

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Policy and Administration

Advisor

Karel Kurst-Swanger

Abstract

Studies have found criminogenic consequences of imprisonment when testing the deterrence hypothesis, yet few studies were found that examined the magnitude of post release criminal offenses among the drug offender population. The specific deterrence and criminogenic effects of imprisonment were the theoretical frameworks that guided this study of Harris County, Texas, to determine if incarceration predicted serious reoffending among low-level drug offenders. A Journal of Science and Law (Scilaw) archival dataset based on Harris County court records was used to build the sample. Chi-squared test of association and logistic regression statistics were used to analyze a sample of first-time drug offenders, N = 11,077, tracked from 1992-2012. Crosstab results found a significant, p < .05, association between punishment and criminal class of new charges and no significant association between punishment and violence type of new charges. Yet, two logistic regressions found that sentencing, race, age, and gender significantly, p< .05 contributed to both the class of new charges and type of new charges with respective pseudo R-squares of .105 and .048. Imprisonment adversely affected drug offender recidivism. Findings from this study add empirical evidence to the public policy debate on the use of imprisonment as a deterrence tool for drug offenders. This is a failed strategy, as imprisonment may not cause a reduction in felony or violent reoffenses. Reducing incarceration rates for drug offenders using newer tools such as drug centers may be a more appropriate public policy and social justice approach.

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