Community Reintegration Among Prisoners With Child Support Obligations: An Examination of Debt, Needs, and Service Receipt

Specifically, this study provides a descriptive picture of soon-to-be-released male State prisoners with child support obligations, using a multi-state, longitudinal dataset; and it examined whether characteristics of incarcerated men with child support orders and associated debt were significantly different from incarcerated males without child support orders. The study also analyzed whether males attached to comprehensive reentry programs received more services related to their debt obligation after prison release compared with non-program participants. Findings show that although prisoners reported having substantial needs vis-à-vis child support obligations, few reported receiving assistance related to these needs upon release; however, reentry program participants received significantly more child support–related services than non-program participants. Implications for community services and support for returning prisoners with child support orders and related needs are discussed. (Publisher abstract modified)