Immigration in an Era of Mass Reentry: Does Immigrant Concentration Guard Against Serious Recidivism?

Abstract

Objectives

Determine whether the protective role of immigrant concentration extends to individuals with prior criminal histories such as ex-prisoners.

Methods

The present study used hierarchical logistic regression to examine the association between concentrated immigration and serious recidivism among a cohort of 182,509 ex-inmates nested within 957 zip codes in Florida. The study also considered whether this relationship is applicable to inmates from all racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Results

Results indicate that ex-prisoners have a 21 percent lower likelihood of recidivism when they return to communities with substantial numbers of foreign-born residents. This effect, however, is stronger for some populations than others.

Conclusions

Immigration serves as a protective feature for even high-risk populations. While this relationship does differ across race and ethnicity, no group experienced a crime-enhancing effect when returning to a community categorized by high immigration. The findings contribute to the burgeoning literature on immigration and crime by demonstrating that immigrant communities provide ex-prisoners with a pro-social context that diminishes their risk for serious recidivism.