Interview Instrument

1.) Before we first contacted you, what did you know about ex-convicts?
● This aims to establish a baseline for the participant’s knowledge of our population of
focus, discover any strong feelings they may have towards the ex-convicts and find out if
their views.

2.) What experience have you had with ex-convicts in your personal life?
● It aims to draw out experiences respondents have had with ex-convicts in the past in
hopes of connecting them with current attitudes towards them.

3.) What kind of impact do you think ex-convicts will have in the safety of your
community?
● This question will help us determine how welcoming respondents may be towards ex-
convicts which relates to their willingness to provide social support and the stigma ex-
convicts will feel upon entering the community. It also relates to a finding by Leverentz
(2011) that a perception that crime is getting worse is linked with more punitive attitudes
towards offenders.

4.) How likely do you feel ex-convicts are to reform once they enter the community?
● This question relates to the value the respondent may see in providing support to ex-
convicts and their general acceptance of the population.

5.) How welcoming do you think your community is to ex-offenders?

● This question further explores the respondent’s beliefs about their community’s
willingness to provide social support.

6.) What factors do you think make it hard for ex-convicts entering community to avoid
re-offense?
● This question aims to identify reentry factors specific to community.

Follow-up questions will focus on the reasoning for the respondent’s answer and how
their views have changed in
response to ex-convicts.
1.) What are your thoughts on social support offered to ex-convicts entering your
community?
● This question aims to gather information on the likelihood that ex-convicts in the
community will be able to find social support.

2.) What fears do you have about ex-convicts living nearby?

● In addition to providing insight on specific fears respondents may have that may impact
their willingness to provide social support, this question will help us compare our
findings to Leverentz (2011) and Lynch & Sabol (2004) which wrote that a fear of
victimization is a common part of the attitude most communities have towards ex-
convicts.