Breetzke, Gregory DennisPolaschek, Devon L.L.Curtis-Ham, Sophie J.2019-08-052019-01Breetzke, G.D., Polaschek, D.L.L. & Curtis-Ham, S. 2019, 'Does crime count? Investigating the association between neighbourhood-level crime and recidivism in high-risk parolees', Applied Geography, vol. 102, pp. 20-27.0143-622810.1016/j.apgeog.2018.11.002http://hdl.handle.net/2263/70884The neighbourhood contexts in which former offenders live following their release from prison has been relatively neglected in recidivism studies. Moreover, the relationship between neighbourhood-level crime and parolee recidivism has received little scholarly attention. This oversight is of concern since high-crime neighbourhoods may influence newly-released prisoners' ability to assimilate and reintegrate effectively within society. In this study, we examine whether neighbourhood-level crime across four different categories (dishonesty, violence, property damage, and drugs and anti-social) predicts individual-level short-term recidivism. Using data from 280 high-risk male parolees returning to neighbourhoods throughout New Zealand between 2010 and 2013 we examine whether neighbourhood-level crime is associated with their reconviction. Results showed no significant associations between crime and short-term recidivism after controlling for various potential individual- and neighbourhood-level confounds. We contrast the surprising results of the research with the predominantly US-centric recidivism literature, and identify and discuss possible explanations for our non-significant findings.en© 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Notice : this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Applied Geography. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. A definitive version was subsequently published in Applied Geography, vol. 102, pp. 20-27, 2019, doi : 10.1016/j.apgeog.2018.11.002.RecidivismNeighbourhood effectsCrimeParoleNew ZealandSocial disorganizationPredictive validityCommunityDiversityYouthOffendersContextViolent crimeMultilevel analysisPostprint Article