Date of Award
5-2024
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.S.
Degree Program
Psychology
Department
Psychology
Major Professor
Scalco, Matthew
Second Advisor
Harshaw, Christopher
Third Advisor
Adeola, Francis
Abstract
Mass incarceration has been a pervasive issue in American society with longstanding effects on individuals and their communities. Several factors have been shown to intensify these effects and contribute to the cycle of recidivism, such as homelessness, trauma, and drug use. The current study investigated the association between these and several other factors and the number of sentences an individual had received in their lifetime. A cross-sectional sample (N= 24,808, 25% female) of adult inmates from the periodic Survey of Prison Inmates was used to test these hypotheses. Exploratory factor analysis and subsequent regressions indicated a significant association between higher rates of sentencing and certain racial identities, lower education, homelessness, sex, age, and previous PTSD diagnoses. Future research should include further investigation of external factors that may increase an individual’s likelihood of being incarcerated in order to aptly address recidivism and the rehabilitative quality of correctional facilities.
Recommended Citation
Whitlock, Elise N., "Homelessness, Trauma, and Drug Use as Contributing Factors to Increased Sentencing" (2024). University of New Orleans Theses and Dissertations. 3193.
https://scholarworks.uno.edu/td/3193
Rights
The University of New Orleans and its agents retain the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible this dissertation or thesis in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. The author retains all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis or dissertation.