Gender as a moderator in predicting re-arrest among treated drug-involved offenders

The primary aim of the current study is to explore gender differences on the relationships of pre-treatment risk factors and psychosocial functioning with time to re-arrest following termination from prison. The sample consisted of 384 males and 313 females who were admitted to four prison-based substance abuse treatment programs. Results showed that female inmates experienced a longer time to re-arrest than male inmates. Higher self-reported ratings of decision making confidence and peer support were associated with a lower likelihood of re-arrest for males. Males with higher self-esteem ratings were more likely to be re-arrested than males who reported lower self-esteem. Females with more self-reported criminal involvement had a higher rate of re-arrest than did those with less criminal involvement. In contrast to males, females with relatively high self-reported self-esteem had a lower rate of re-arrest than their counterparts who reported low self-esteem. Clinical implications include the importance of enhancing decision-making confidence and peer support for males and self-esteem for females.