Transitioning from prison to life back out in the world is one of the most important moments in a formerly incarcerated person’s life. How this transition is handled will often dictate that individual’s future and whether or not they seek a meaningful, responsible purpose or a return to a life of crime.

The Problem of Recidivism

According to the National Institute of Justice, recidivism is defined as “Criminal acts that resulted in rearrest, re-conviction or return to prison with or without a new sentence during three years following the person’s release.” The recidivism rate of any single institution, institutions within a state, or all institutions within a nation is the best metric for measuring the success of the criminal justice system, as recidivism shows whether or not prison sentences are effective in reforming individuals.¹

Statistics on recidivism vary from state to state, but the overall national recidivism rate in the U.S. is concerning. According to the Brookings Institute, over 640,000 people are returned to their communities from prison each year. Due to the lack of institutional support, minimal rehabilitation services, imposed legal barriers, stigmas, and low wages/difficulties in garnering employment, more than three-fourths of released individuals are rearrested within three years of release.²

However, when inmates return to their communities and have access to healthcare, housing, skill development, mentorships, social networks, and employment, they are much less likely to commit new crimes.

Reentry Services and Their Effect on Recidivism

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The issue of reentry is more than just a one-size-fits-all challenge. Each inmate requires services that will prepare them for release from prison, depending on what that individual needs most. Reentry services should be able to assess each inmate and determine what will most help them experience a smooth, streamlined, compassionate, and helpful transition from prison to their destination community.

With that in mind, some examples of customizable reentry services that all prisons should implement, expand, and improve include:

• Improved access to family visitation, both in-person and via phone calls
• Expanded vocational programs that prepare inmates for employment upon release
• Expanded access to the internet so inmates can acquire the digital skills they need to secure employment
• Improved substance abuse rehabilitation services to ensure offenders are clean and sober before their release

The above is by no means a complete list. However, the principle remains: The more reentry services an inmate has access to, the less likely they are to return to a life of crime following their release from prison.

Prison Reforms that Could Reduce Recidivism

In addition to ensuring all inmates receive effective reentry services before and during their release, a significant number of policy changes would make life easier for formerly incarcerated individuals. Were these enacted, people who have served time in prison would face fewer challenges as they reintegrate into society, making them less likely to return to a life of crime.

Some policy changes would include:

• Ending restrictions on occupational licensing and hiring for those with criminal records
• Increasing funding for subsidized employment programs for formerly incarcerated individuals
• Improving the oversight and regulation of criminal background check industries to reduce discrimination
• Expanding anti-discrimination rules to include preventing discrimination against the formerly incarcerated
• Reorienting parole programs toward social and economic reintegration as the goal of post-release supervision
• Implementing measures that make it easier for former offenders to access housing, employment, and education

Reentry services coupled with prison reform have been shown to reduce recidivism significantly.

Education: The Golden Ticket to a Life Free of Crime

One critical tool that is often left out of policy discussions regarding prisoner rehabilitation, reentry services, and recidivism is education. Educational services in prison provide inmates with the knowledge they need to become employable. Such services help inmates improve their self-respect, build relationships and communication skills, and break down their destructive habits. Effective, evidence-based educational services in prison help inmates address those factors that precipitated criminal behavior. An educated inmate understands what brought them to a life of crime and what they must do to rise above it. Prisons should focus on implementing services that produce these results.

“We must move away from a policy framework that focuses on punishment as a tool for controlling risk in favor of a focus on human rights, harm reduction, and the social, political, and economic reintegration of those who have been incarcerated.”

In closing, the summary statement of the comprehensive Brookings Institute report previously cited in this article is more than relevant. As the authors write, “We must move away from a policy framework that focuses on punishment as a tool for controlling risk in favor of a focus on human rights, harm reduction, and the social, political, and economic reintegration of those who have been incarcerated.” Truly, if U.S. prisons and the state and federal policies that dictate their function can shift their focus from punishment to rehabilitation, America can improve its public safety issues while simultaneously reducing its prison population and creating a fairer, more just, and freer society for all.

Sources:

1. NIJ. “Recidivism.” National Institute of Justice, 2023. nij.ojp.gov
2. Brookings. “A better path forward for criminal justice: Prisoner reentry.” The Brookings Institute, 2021. brookings.edu