DOI: 10.3886/icpsr39307
title: Boston Reentry Study, Massachusetts, 2012-2014
title: Archival Version

description: The Boston Reentry Study (BRS) was a mixed-methods, longitudinal study of 122 men and women released from Massachusetts state prisons to the Boston area, that focused on the transition into the community during participants' first year after prison release. The original data collection combined a panel survey, qualitative interviews, interviews with family members, and administrative records on criminal history. The BRS examined the complexity of integration after incarceration drawing from participants' life histories, including childhood experiences, to understand how individual biographies shape the transition into the community. This collection includes responses to 5 survey waves: (1) baseline, about one week before release from prison, (2) 1 week after prison release, (3) 2 months after prison release, (4) 6 months after prison release, and (5) 12 months after prison release. The survey collected information on housing, employment, income, health, family relationships, and criminal justice system contact.
description: This study aimed to provide a detailed picture of housing, employment, health, family history, and criminal involvement of people returning to their communities from prison.
description: The Boston Reentry Study (BRS) data collection period for core interviews began in April 2012 and lasted until December 2014. The initial baseline interview was scheduled about one week before release and took place in-person at the prison. Researcher staff were notified when respondents were released from Department of Corrections custody and called respondents using the contact information they were provided at baseline. If no contact information was provided, respondents called the research team upon their release or were located by the team at residential or transitional housing programs. Post-release interviews were held in the community, or in a prison or jail facility if the respondent was back in custody. A variety of measures were taken to maximize study retention, including the use of phone check-ins with respondents between interviews, interview incentives, and maintaining contact with respondents' families. All eligible respondents participated in at least one follow-up interview after prison release.
The BRS survey instruments asked a series of questions on experiences during the transitional period in the year after prison release. Core survey items were asked across most, if not all, interview waves. Some waves included topic modules to obtain more detailed information about the process of transition out of prison.
description: Background (baseline interview)
Prison experiences (baseline interview)
Financial support (core questions for all surveys)
Housing (core questions for all surveys)
Family (core questions for all surveys, 2-month topical module)
Substance use (core questions for all surveys)
Health and health care (core questions for all surveys)
General satisfaction and concerns (core questions for post-release surveys)
Supervision (core questions for post-release surveys)
Peer networks (core questions for post-release surveys)
Personal relationships (core questions for 2-month through 12-month surveys)
Criminal justice contact (core questions for 6-month through 12-month surveys)
Program participation (core questions for 6-month through 12-month surveys)
Attitudes to police and institutions (12-month module)
Childhood experiences (12-month module)
Violence and victimization (12-month module)
description: Response Rates: Through the one-year follow-up period, the study achieved a response rate of 94.4 percent, completing 576 of the 610 scheduled interviews over the 5 survey waves.
description: Presence of Common Scales: Several Likert-type scales were used.
description: The core sample of the Boston Reentry Study consists of 122 Massachusetts state prison inmates who were recruited between April 2012 and February 2013. Study eligibility required that inmates (a) were within one month of their scheduled prison release, and (b) provided a post-release address in the Boston area. Respondents were recruited from 15 of the 18 Massachusetts Department of Corrections state prisons. By recruiting from the range of security levels, the respondents varied widely on length of prison stay, criminal histories, offense severity, and age groups.
description: Datasets: 
DS1: Boston Reentry Study, Massachusetts, 2012-2014
description: Adults newly released from Massachusetts state prisons and returning to the Boston area between May 2012 and February 2013.
description: face-to-face interviewFor additional information on the Boston Reentry Study (BRS), please visit the BRS study webpage.