April 20, 2009
“The Labeling of Convicted Felons and Its Consequences for Recidivism,” published in Criminology (45: 547–582) and authored by professors Ted Chiricos and Bill Bales and recent Ph.D. graduates Kelle Barrick and Stephanie Bontrager was selected as the winner of the American Society of Criminology’s Outstanding Paper Award.
Their research showed that convicted felons in Florida who had the formal certification of guilt, “adjudication,” withheld by the sentencing judge, were significantly less likely to recidivate in a two-year follow-up period than those for whom the felony convict label was formally applied. These labeling effects were stronger for those who reached the age of 30 without a prior conviction.