Social support is a powerful organizing concept in in our understanding of health, well-being, and overall positive outcomes across the life-course. As such, social support is routinely applied to the prisoner reentry context to explain the post-release outcomes of formerly incarcerated individuals. Yet, there is very little is known about what social support looks like. This is partially because past research has yet to incorporate the innovations in measurement from network science to the study of social support during reentry to understand the resources and relational structure of social support and how these influence reentry outcomes. Rooted in the methodological advancements of social capital research, this dissertation measured the ego-centric anticipated social support networks of 85 men preparing for release from prison. The first empirical chapter of this dissertation begins by describing the resources available to individuals preparing for release and by whom. Next, potential correlates of network structure, specifically network density, are explored. The final empirical chapter examines the role of network structure in moderating the role of resource availability on individual outcomes such as health, flourishing, and the use of prosocial or maladaptive coping skills. Findings demonstrate that the relationship among these variables is complex and that further empirical investigation is warranted. The implication of these findings for policy and practice, and this approach more broadly, are also discussed at length.

Studies on what shapes public perceptions of ex-prisoners are abundant. One omission is the detailed investigation of how perceptions of former inmates might vary by the amount of time since their last incarceration term. More specifically, it remains unknown whether increased length since an ex-prisoner’s last incarceration spell is positively linked to higher levels of trust. This study (N = 448) uses a factorial vignette design to test the perceived trustworthiness of former inmates across two hypothetical scenarios. Time since last incarceration spell is used as the independent variables in a series of ordered logistic regression models. The role of gender is also explored. Results show that trust perceptions of ex-prisoners minimally vary by time since last incarceration spell when personal victimization is at risk, but the magnitude is small and shows no clear pattern of declining risk over time. Less support is observed in situations where property victimization is at risk. These findings illustrate the complexity of how people perceive and feel about ex-inmates in situations of trust.