According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, two out of three formerly incarcerated people in the U.S. commit another crime within three years of release. About half of former offenders end up back in jail or prison as a result.¹

Those figures are astonishing because recidivism is the most crucial metric for measuring the nation’s criminal justice system’s success (or lack thereof). The fact that two-thirds of people who go through the criminal justice system return to crime after they’re released suggests the U.S. criminal justice system is not working.

Five Tools for Reducing Recidivism

Following is a summary of five programs implemented in places across America that saw notable success in reducing recidivism:

1). Colorado connects homelessness to recidivism. Recidivism is directly connected to homelessness. When formerly incarcerated persons cannot put a roof over their heads, they are far more likely to return to a life of crime. In Denver, city leaders invited local businesses to invest in a solution to homelessness that quickly reduced recidivism. Launched in 2005, the program is called the Denver Crime Prevention and Control Commission (DCPCC). The program found that the city had spent an alarming $7 million a year on just 250 homeless people. Most of that cost was incurred by the 14,000 days the group cumulatively spent in jail. Denver created a social impact bond, a public-private partnership with local businesses, to house the 250 repeat offenders. The program worked, with recidivism rates dropping and the 250 repeat offenders finding more stability thanks to long-term housing. The program showed that finding innovative ways to provide former offenders with reliable housing can reduce recidivism.²

2). Texas helps offenders prepare for employment before release from prison. In 2004, Texas launched the Prison Entrepreneurship Program (PEP) program. PEP has inspired copycats across the country for its success in reducing recidivism and boosting wages by helping offenders become trained, skilled, desirable workers to employers before offenders complete their prison sentences and leave incarceration. The program trains inmates with a mini-MBA curriculum, providing them with the educational materials they need to earn degrees in areas where they can easily be connected with employers upon their release from prison. This program helped bring Texas’s recidivism rate to one of the lowest in the nation, showing the direct connection between formerly incarcerated people having access to employment and reduced recidivism.³

3). Ohio helps former offenders navigate life on the outside. Research shows one of the most prominent obstacles to life after prison is simply starting over from scratch while navigating the many challenges of state and federal law that restrict employment and housing opportunities. One program in Ohio, the Franklin County Self Help Resource Center, helped 6,000 former offenders in its first year, assisting them with simple yet critical tasks like sealing their records or obtaining a waiver for job restrictions. The center also connects former offenders with social workers who help them find city, county, and state resources for housing, employment, counseling, and basic needs. The program helped reduce recidivism in Franklin County, showing that former offenders are less likely to return to crime when they have support and a guiding hand.⁴

4). Arizona businesses provide incarcerated people with employment and real wages. Televerde, based in Phoenix, is a sales and marketing company that hires current and formerly incarcerated individuals. Because Televerde hires people while they are still serving a sentence, the company improves offender reentry into society by ensuring hired offenders have a job they already know how to do and are familiar with at the time of their release. Further, unlike some businesses which have earned legitimate criticism for paying low wages (the national average for prison wages is $1.41/hr), Televerde pays imprisoned employees the federal minimum wage of $7.25/hr.⁵

5). Michigan helps former offenders get an ID and register to vote. The first step to rebuilding one’s life after incarceration is obtaining an official government-issued ID. That can involve complicated hoops and demanding challenges, which is why Michigan launched a government-run program to ensure all people leaving prison have state-issued identification cards and voter registration if they are eligible. Managed by the Michigan Department of State and Department of Corrections, the program works with each offender closely to ensure they have the identification and documentation they need to accomplish critical post-incarceration tasks like getting housing, a job, food assistance, a driver’s license, and a bank account.⁶

Effective Rehabilitation Leads to Lowered Recidivism

The Harvard Political Review published an article in 2021 highlighting rehabilitation as the critical tool missing from much of America’s criminal justice system. Quoting author Liz Benecchi, “The simple answer – rehabilitation. By shifting the goal of incarceration towards rehabilitation, we can work to lower the recidivism rate by investing in mental health care, devising personalized education plans for prisoners, and connecting prisoners with job opportunities and valuable skills to aid in creating a prison-to-work pipeline.” Benecchi highlighted the efficacy of Norway’s criminal justice system and its low recidivism, pointing out that Norway’s system puts rehabilitation at the forefront while also seeking to provide former offenders with gainful employment as soon as they complete their prison sentence.⁷

American cities, counties, states, and non-profits can reduce recidivism by truly seeking to rehabilitate offenders while they serve their sentences. Assisting them by educating inmates in prison is a big part of this. And when offenders complete their sentences and are released, cities, counties, and states must also provide resources and compassionate, empathy-based services to help guide those individuals back into productive, responsible roles in society.

Sources Cited:

1. BJS. “Recidivism and Reentry.” Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2023. bjs.ojp.gov
2. CD. “Crime Prevention and Control Commission.” City of Denver, 2023. denvergov.org
3. PEP. “The Prison Entrepreneurship Program.” Prison Entrepreneurship Program, 2023. pep.org
4. FCSHRC. “Franklin County Self Help Resource Center.” Franklin County Self Help Resource Center, 2023. municipalcourt.franklincountyohio.gov
5. Televerde. “Televerde.” Televerde, 2023. televerde.com
6. MDOC. “Driver’s License or State ID Card for Prisoners Being Released on Parole or Discharged.” Michigan Department of State and Department of Corrections, 2020. legislature.mi.gov
7. HPR. “Recidivism Imprisons American Progress.” Harvard Political Review, 2021. harvardpolitics.com