One Year Out and Living in Chicago: Employment, Health, and Recidivism of Former Prisoners.

Recognizing that individuals' transitions from prison to the community are best understood in a longitudinal framework, we use four waves of survey data coupled with official recidivism records to plot the reentry pathways of 400 former Chicago prisoners. Through a path analysis of respondents' circumstances before, during, and up to three points after incarceration, we identify the factors contributing to ex-prisoners' ability to become gainfully employed, abstain from substance use, enjoy positive health, and avoid recidivism more than one year after release. We also examine the extent to which respondents with pre-existing substance use and mental health conditions follow different reentry trajectories. We use structural equation modeling to show the interrelationships among key constructs and control variables, and multiple imputation to account for sample attrition and missing data. Data come from the Chicago, Illinois, portion of the Urban Institute's longitudinal study entitled Returning Home: Understanding the Challenges of Prisoner Reentry. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]