Race, concentrated disadvantage, and recidivism: A test of interaction effects

This study sought to explore if the structural characteristics of a community (specifically what sociologists term concentrated disadvantage) interact with race in predicting recidivism. The literature on recidivism stresses the effects of individual factors. This study considered whether effects of the community in which an ex-prisoner lives should be further explored. Of particular interest was the possibility of interaction between concentrated disadvantage and race. Results showed that race strongly predicts recidivism (Blacks being much more likely to recidivate than Whites). This remained the case in spite of multiple controls accounting for racial differences. Neither concentrated disadvantage nor the interaction between it and race had significant effects on recidivism. The study considered what might account for the lingering racial effect, and why the community does not affect the likelihood of recidivism.