BU Research Blog

The 13th Annual Postgraduate Research Conference, hosted by the Doctoral College.

Elie Charabieh (PhD, FST) with this poster entitled: Recidivism risk factors in Lebanese prisoners.

Click the poster below to enlarge.

Given the high cost of reoffending (e.g., direct cost of imprisonment, cost of crime victimisation, exacerbating overcrowding in prisons) this novel research aims to answer the following:  What are the risk/protective factors for recidivism in prisoners in Lebanon? To answer this research question, I use a mix of quantitative (dataset of over 45,000 individuals released from Lebanese prisons between 2013-2018) and qualitative research (in-depth video-recorded interviews with 10-15 notorious prisoners). As seen in Western studies, preliminary findings suggest that males, younger age (18-29), being divorced, not completing any schooling, having been previously imprisoned, having 3 or more criminal cases, and being charged with a drug/theft related crime, significantly increase the reimprisonment risk. Notable differences in reimprisonment rates were also found across nationalities and crime types. Knowledge of these factors will help the Lebanese government target high-risk offenders and improve their chances of leading crime-free lives upon their release.

You can view the full poster exhibition and pre-recorded presentations on the conference webpage.

If this research has inspired you and you’d like to explore applying for a research degree please visit the postgraduate research web pages or contact the Doctoral College dedicated admissions team.