Prisoners’ Indebtedness as a Cause of Their Recidivism

Petr Juricek, Josef Smolik

Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This paper is an analysis of the indebtedness of incarcerated persons that may contribute to their subsequent secondary criminal activity. THEORETICAL BASE: The a major impact on their subsequent criminal activity after serving their sentences. The text was written based on the assumption that although persons in prison have the opportunity to repay their debts while serving their sentences, they return to civilian life with debts. This situation could be addressed already during the sentence (e.g. by increasing financial literacy). METHODS: The research method is a literature search, legislative norms, and a follow-up sociological probe conducted from January to February 2023 in the form of a questionnaire survey of 44 persons in prison. OUTCOMES: The result of the paper is an analysis of the indebtedness of persons in prison, identifying the causes and reasons for indebtedness. IMPLICATIONS FOR SOCIAL WORK: The implication in the field of social work is to set up more effective methods for working with incarcerated persons to increase financial literacy.

Keywords
prison, foreclosure, recidivism, debt trap, social work

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