In their article “A study on the impact of open prisons: investigating the influence of short-term leave and open prisons on recidivism rates”, Merten Neumann, Helena Schüttler and Thimna Klatt address precisely this question.
Key findings:
– Open prisons are associated with significantly lower risks of reoffending → both in terms of general recidivism and in terms of re-imprisonment
– The picture is less consistent when it comes to unsupervised leave → Nevertheless, the analyses suggest that, for prisoners eligible for relaxed conditions, the likelihood of general reoffending is lower when such measures are in place.
Conclusion: The findings suggest that open prison is an effective tool for rehabilitation. At the same time, they highlight the importance of rigorous methodological approaches in order to draw reliable conclusions about the effectiveness of prison measures. Overall, the study underscores the potential of phased transitional measures for successful reintegration and the reduction of reoffending.
To the Open Access publication: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11292-026-09741-9
