Hope as a Predictor of Reincarceration Among Mutual-Help Recovery Residents

Abstract

Given the rates of reincarceration in the United States, it is important to understand criminal justice risk and protective factors. Hope is a potentially important factor with two components—agency (goal-directed determination) and pathways (planning to meet goals; Snyder et al., 1991). We conducted a secondary data analysis (n = 45) of a longitudinal survey of mutual-help recovery home residents. As hypothesized, greater global hope and agency significantly predicted lower odds for reincarceration, and lower levels of pathways was not predictive. We relate these findings to hope theory and potential community applications.

KEYWORDS:

• community support
• hope
• mutual-help recovery
• reincarceration
• substance abuse recovery

Acknowledgments

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, National Institute of Drug Abuse, and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities under Award Numbers, AA016973, DA019935, MD002748, DA013231, and DA032195. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. Lastly, we appreciate the efforts of Carolyn Ellis, Stephanie Marez, Rory Murray, Gilberto Padilla, and LaRonda Stalling—Oxford House recruiters who have been instrumental in the interpretation of findings.