A new study suggests that harsh “collateral consequence laws” for former inmates may be related to lower rates of return to prisons.
The study, which was funded by the National Institute of Justice, challenges widely-held assumptions that “collateral consequence laws” — formal restrictions following arrest or conviction to employment, public assistance, driver’s licenses and other things — increase the likelihood that former inmates will return to prison.
The author notes, however, that the limited data on “collateral consequence laws” led to wide variances in results from state to state that “restrict the validity of conclusions.”
“In 2010, states varied in the percentage of prison admissions that were made up of parole violations from 7 percent to 65 percent,” according to the study.
Read the full report HERE.