Community re-entry and the path toward desistance: A quasi-experimental longitudinal study of dynamic factors and community risk management of adult sex offenders

•The study describes dynamic factors of adult male sex offenders.•Dynamic risk factors are associated with recidivism upon re-entry•Negative social influences and poor cooperation are associated with poor outcomes•Type of community risk management can moderate the impact of dynamic factors

PurposeA successful community re-entry is a step toward desistance from sex offending. The re-entry phase is critical because it can trigger dynamic risk factors that can lead to a re-offense. In that context, community risk management is seen as pivotal to moderate the impact of community re-entry and associated stressors. The current study, therefore, examines the dynamic factors associated with a successful community re-entry, taking into account the type of community supervision offenders were subjected to.MethodologyThis prospective longitudinal study is based on a quasi-experimental research design where offenders (n = 169) were subjected to different types of community supervision (intensive supervision versus regular probation services). Community re-entry outcomes were assessed through the presence of technical violations and/or a new criminal offence.FindingsCox proportional hazards showed that offenders with negative community re-entry outcomes were younger, at-risk of sexual violence, under intensive community supervision, and had more negative social influences and self-regulation deficits. Of importance, intensive community supervision significantly moderated the impact of negative social influences but negatively impacted those with self-regulation deficits.ConclusionsThe study provides evidence that dynamic risk factors are important during re-entry and may operate differently under different supervisory conditions.