Willingness to change and coming home from prison

This study's purpose is to explore the factors which maximize willingness to change within people as they are released from prison. Using data from a panel of men in the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) study and a hybrid item response theory approach, a modified graded response model is used to estimate people's overall willingness to change. That estimate serves as the dependent variable in a series of regression models which examine which factors relate to a person's willingness to change. Results demonstrate that a variety of experiences prior to incarceration (e.g., prior employment, criminally-inclined peers) and during incarceration (e.g., religious support, family conflict) significantly relate to a person's willingness to change. Understanding the pre- and during-incarceration experiences of individuals can help inform policy and reentry programs tailored to increase the positive attitude of being willing to change and desist from crime. • Being willing to change is critical for people undergoing the reentry process. • What relates to one's willingness to change (WTC) upon release from prison? • Experiences and relationships before and during prison relate to WTC. • Criminally involved peers and family conflict seem particularly harmful for WTC. • Programs could be made which target increases in WTC to help reduce recidivism.