Race, Health, and Recidivism: Examining the Effects of Health Status and Healthcare Needs on Recidivism for Black and White Formerly Incarcerated People

Health research has established that there exist significant and consistent racial disparities in health outcomes, access to healthcare, and scope and quality of healthcare. An unresolved question is whether there are different pathways between health and recidivism for White versus Black individuals who were formerly incarcerated (IFI). Using the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) data, we find that for both Black and White IFI, mental health is significantly and negatively associated with recidivism, and needing drug or alcohol treatment is significantly and positively associated with recidivism. Further, the effect of mental health on recidivism is partially mediated by unmet healthcare needs, but the mediation effect is more nuanced for Black versus White IFI. The study’s implications are discussed.