Social networks and perceived social support among community corrections offenders in China: a pilot study report
| Date | 26 November 2024 |
| Pages | 1-16 |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/JCRPP-05-2024-0033 |
| Published date | 26 November 2024 |
| Author | Xiaoyu Wang,Siti Hajar Abu Bakar Ah,Zaiton Azman |
Social networks and perceived social
support among community corrections
offenders in China: a pilot study report
Xiaoyu Wang, Siti Hajar Abu Bakar Ah and Zaiton Azman
Abstract
Purpose –This study aimsto assess the social network and perceivedsocial support among community
corrections offendersin China and compare the relationship betweendifferent sub-dimensions of social
supportand offenders’ social adaptation.
Design/methodology/approach –A descriptive design combined with self-administered questionnaires
was used. A total of 54 valid responses were analysed, with participants displaying the following demographic
characteristics: male offenders outnumbered female offenders, probationers constituted the highest proportion
among all community corrections offenders and educational levels were generally low. Descriptive statistics and
correlation analysis were conducted. The Lubben Social Network Scale, Interpersonal Support Evaluation List
Scale and Person at Re-education-centre Social Adaptation Scale were used to measure the variables.
Findings –Participants exhibited generally good levels of social support, with moderately extensive
social networksand perceived support. All sub-dimensionsshowed significant positive correlationswith
social adaptation, with the highest correlation for appraisal support (r¼0.743, p<0.01), followed by
instrumentalsupport (r¼0.714, p<0.01), emotional support (r¼0.687,p<0.01), informational support
(r¼0.685,P<0.01) and social networks (r¼0.426, p<0.01).
Practical implications –This study expands the understanding of community corrections offenders in China
by focusing on the underexplored Sichuan Province, using empirical methods for data collection. It addresses a
gap in previous research by examining both structural and functional support for offenders rather than focusing
solely on one aspect. The study uses two scales, rarely used in Chinese research, to measure structural and
functional support, thereby enhancing research on social support for offenders. Practically, it explores the
correlation between social support and re-entry, offering valuable insights for improving offenders’ reintegration
into society.
Originality/value –These results underscore the critical role of social networks and perceived social support in
reintegrating Chinese community corrections offenders. Distinct from prior research, this study used a more
comprehensive scale, less commonly used by Chinese scholars, to enable detailed measurement and analysis,
highlighting the significance of both structural and functional support in informing practice in related fields.
Keywords Community corrections, Social support, Social adaptation
Paper type Research paper
Introduction
Custodial sentences are a fundamental and essential way of correcting offenders in China,
which refers to the sentence enforcement activity of incarcerating offenders in prisons,
juvenile correctional centres, detention centres and other institutions for correction (Wang,
2015). Traditional custodial sentences are costly and ineffective, and offenders have high
recidivism rates (Yang, 2022). Given concerns about the effectiveness and costs of
custodial sentences, community corrections are an alternative option.
The concept of community corrections in China originated in the Circular on the Launching
of Pilot Work on Community Correction, issued in July 2003. It is a way of executing
Xiaoyu Wang, Siti Hajar
Abu Bakar Ah and Zaiton
Azman are all based at the
Department of Social
Administration and Justice,
Universiti Malaya, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia.
Received 25 May 2024
Revised 19 August 2024
Accepted 17 October 2024
DOI 10.1108/JCRPP-05-2024-0033 VOL. 11 NO. 1 2025,pp. 1-16, ©Emerald Publishing Limited, ISSN 2056-3841 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICEjPAGE 1
sentences as opposed to incarceration correction. It refers to the psychological and
behavioural correction of offenders who meet the conditions for community corrections
within the community by the state-specialised organs and relevant organisations and
groups within the period of the judgement or ruling to promotetheir smooth return to society
(Zhang, 2019). The law of the People’s Republic of China on community corrections
requires community corrections to be carried out in accordance with the law for
convicts sentenced to public surveillance (管制), imprisonment with a suspension of
execution (缓刑–Consistent with probation in international research contexts), release on
parole (假释) or permitted temporarily serving his sentence outside prison (暂予监外执行)
(Ministry of Justice of the People’sRepublic of China, 2021).
According to the most recent data available for China, about 4.78 million people have
undergone or are undergoing community corrections since 2003 (Xinhua, 2019). A
cumulative total of 4.11 million people has been discharged. More than 500,000 new
correctional offenders are added yearly (Yang, 2022). The number of community
corrections offenders is rising and is expected to grow (Zhang et al., 2019). Since the
number of offenders in community corrections is one factor contributing to the effectiveness
of community corrections and thepotential risk to public safety (Xu and Liu, 2023), we need
to pay sufficient attention to this group. The formulation of China’s community corrections
law provides us with a direction to focus our attention on promoting the smooth integration
of correctional offenders intosociety and preventing and reducing crime (Ministry of Justice
of the People’s Republic of China, 2021).
However, it is not easy for them to integrate and adapt to society b ecause compared with
qualified members of society, community corrections offend ers have some deviation and
distance from the overall requirements of society (Yin, 2022). For example, committi nga crime
is accompanied by stigma, which can trigger discrimination. Afte r being labelled, the identity
of “criminal” is emphasised and highlighted in daily life, and the identity of “comm unity
member” is gradually weakened and deconstructed (Yin, 2022). Employment exclusion and
discrimination by others can trigger identity anxiety in offenders, making them consciously
avoid daily social activities and spontaneously stay away from th e community (Yang, 2022). In
turn, dilemmas such as labelling and unemployment may lead to re-offending (Yang, 2022;Xu
and Liu, 2023), thus, again leaving them excluded from the community and societ y.
Existing experiences abroad have demonstrated the role of social sup port in managing
offenders and promoting their integration into society (Schaefe r et al.,2021;Bares and
Mowen, 2020). However, this needs to be validated more in China, especially in Sichu an
Province. Therefore, this study focuses on the social support of community correcti ons
offenders in Sichuan Province. It aims to examine the state of their so cial support and explore
the relationship between different sub-dimensionsof social support and social integration.
Academically, this study contributes to understanding community corrections offenders in
China by using the underexplored region of Sichuan Province as a research site, using
empirical methods to gather data. Also,the present study paid attention to a shortcoming of
previous studies in China: They focused only on offenders’ structural or functional support.
This study measured offenders’ structural and functional support using two scales to enrich
and improve the research relatedto social support for offenders. Practically, it measuresthe
correlation between social supportand re-entry to provide adequate practical directions for
the successful integrationof offenders into society.
Literature review
Social support
Social support is widely conceptualised as a “transfer of resources” from one person to
another (Emmott et al., 2020;Stansfeld et al.,2006). It is a communication-based social
network component that gives people a sense of belonging and makes them feel loved,
PAGE 2 jJOURNAL OF CRIMINOLOGICAL RESEARCH, POLICY AND PRACTICE jVOL. 11 NO.1 2025
Get this document and AI-powered insights with a free trial of vLex and Vincent AI
Get Started for FreeStart Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting
Start Your Free Trial of vLex and Vincent AI, Your Precision-Engineered Legal Assistant
-
Access comprehensive legal content with no limitations across vLex's unparalleled global legal database
-
Build stronger arguments with verified citations and CERT citator that tracks case history and precedential strength
-
Transform your legal research from hours to minutes with Vincent AI's intelligent search and analysis capabilities
-
Elevate your practice by focusing your expertise where it matters most while Vincent handles the heavy lifting