Research tries to discover which factors of the imprisonment experience and the conditions of release are relevant to reduce the risk of recidivism. We conducted research with persons serving a prison sentence (in ordinary prison, open prison or on parole) (n = 538) to test whether factors pointed out by general strain, social support and differential association/social learning theories are related to recidivism. Unlike previous research, we found that the level of coercion, support and learning experienced during imprisonment is unrelated to the risk of recidivism. We found that subjects who benefited from supervised release, in comparison to those who were released without supervision at the expiration of the sentence, were associated with a significantly lower risk of recidivism. This study should be seen as a confirmation of the emerging research that underlines that the release stage is critically related to challenging recidivism, and this can be achieved when individuals benefit from supportive supervision aimed at challenging criminogenic needs and promoting social integration.
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