Summary
"Approximately 656,000 people were released from state and federal prisons in 2003 alone (Harrison and Beck 2005), a four-fold increase over the past two decades. The potential impact of prisoner reentry on public safety is undeniable: over two-thirds of released prisoners are rearrested for a new crime within three years of release (Langan and Levin 2002). One helpful tool in addressing the public safety challenges of reentry is the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), or computerized mapping technology. Given the local context of prisoner reentry, it is particularly important for law enforcement to have a clear spatial understanding of the characteristics of reentry within their jurisdictions. Mapping is one of the most powerful means of capturing important concentrations, patterns, and spatial trends in data (Kingsley, Coulton,Barndt, Sawicki, and Tatian 1997). Accordingly, policing strategies designed to tackle problems resulting from prisoner reentry can be more effective when they are informed by the mapping of such information as the locations of returning prisoners, reentry services and resources, and parole offices."--Introduction.