Ex-Offenders: Legislation Analysis

Since 2003, the National Probation Service (NPS) has incorporated the Offender Assessment Systems (OASys), (Bracken, 2010). OASys is a standardised, evidence based instrument used to measure the likelihood of recidivism and ROSH. Consideration is also given, to the circumstances of the offence, the type and vulnerability of the victim and the criminogenic needs associated with offending (NOMS, 2010). Robust risk assessments are a mandatory aspects of professional practice (Kemshall, 2007) however, there are no set guidelines which determine criminality (Howard, 2000). ROSH needs to be assessed individually, as no one static, dynamic or acute risk factor is ever indicative of a specific offending behaviours (Powis, 2002). There has been some

After conducting my own research on Ban the Box movement to prohibit employers from requiring disclosure of past criminal convictions on employment. I noticed that the Ban the Box movement was put together by civil rights groups, and other advocates for ex-offenders. The movement is also an international campaign that is aimed at convincing employers abroad to remove the criminal history box (box that asks if an applicant has been arrested) from the applications. I truly understand the purpose of this movement, which is to enable ex-offenders a better chance at landing a job while on parole or after they are released from jail. For instance, if an ex-offender has a tough time finding a job after incarceration, then he/she will have a higher

Prior to the amendment of the Sentencing Reforming Act, Federal Judges had the freedom of imposing different length of sentence for each criminal. This resulted in a disparity among inmates on the length of time served. To prevent this, the sole purpose of the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984 was to revise the federal criminal sentencing policy into a uniform guideline. The aim is to maintain integrity in the length of sentence in the justice system for each inmate, while providing judges the freedom to manipulate the length of sentence to better fit the crime.

Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy announced a series of initiatives which aim to reintegrate ex-offenders into society. The Second Chance Society initiative combines legislative changes to sentencing and parole procedures with a program to help ex-offenders obtain employment upon release and programs to divert individuals away from the criminal justice system prior to receiving a prison sentence. The employment program is modeled off of Washington’s I-Best program, which combines employment training with intensive basic education for adults. The initiative will also include a school-based diversion program, which seeks to reduce suspensions, expulsions and arrests in the K-12 system, and a housing program for frequent users of substance abuse,

Once you are barred as a felon trying to live a normal life is close to impossible, you are alienated from the rest of the world for the rest of our life even for petty crimes such as drug possession. Not being able to get certain things like housing or government benefits tends to drive people back into criminal activity so they can find a way to support themselves.

The United States prison system is considered today to be one of the most flawed and corrupt systems of the modern world. Given this fact, it is unsurprising that one of the most talked about issues in the US today is prison reform. Prison reform is a phrase which refers to the attempt to improve conditions inside prisons, establishing a more effective penal system, or implementing alternatives to incarceration. The US has spent the past twenty years gradually working to improve its prisons, and even recently strives to better the federal and state prison system as a whole. One of the main goals of prison reform is reducing recidivism, which is the chance of an incarcerated person re-offending. One of the main ways to do this is to give inmates ways to spend their time that will better them and prepare them to re-enter society as a fully productive, rehabilitated citizen. This facet of prison reform is the basis for the Prison Reform and Redemption Act of 2017. This bill, which was to be reviewed on Wednesday, April 25 but is

The unemployment of these individuals affects the society in the productivity levels and can facilitate their possibilities of committing another criminal activity. They also become a burden to those who take care of them. In some situation, the former inmates may get back to their illegal activities. There is a need to make sure that the ex-offenders use their time

Many would say that offenders are hopeless and if one looks at the rate of recidivism, one would definitely think that our nation’s offenders are indeed hopeless. However, what if there was a way to reduce the rate of recidivism and at the same time rehabilitate offenders in order to make them functioning members of the community? Reentry programs that are implemented correctly cannot only reduce the rate of recidivism but at the same time help to rehabilitate an offender through education, treatment, and therapy. The Second Chance At is a law that went into effect April 29, 2008 (P.L. 110-199) and it allows government agencies to provide services to offenders that will help to reduce the rate of recidivism as well as improve the

researchers had conducted and gaining a statistical analysis of the researches, a meta-analysis is often one of the best tools to ensure a positive impact on recidivism “meta-analysis is the principal source of information for "effective principles” (Gendreau, 1996, p. 120). Often times these intervention programs are intensive and behavioral based, which are vital to the program. Behavioral Programs, should target the criminogenic needs of the offender, which has better results when it is paired with the offender’s risk level.

California has one of the nation’s highest recidivism rates, which has been a well-known problem for many years. The rate has been steadily dropping. However it is still about 15% higher than the national average of 43.3% (McDonald, “California’s Recidivism Problem”). The recidivism problem in California is caused by rehabilitation programs not being effective enough to keep ex-convicts out of prison. Keeping prisoners in the California prison system is an enormous waste of taxpayer money. Instead of spending more and more on prisons, the money could be used elsewhere such as lowering college tuition for students. The government could easily save money for other purposes such as this by changing rehabilitation to make it more effective. In order to reduce spending on prisons and recidivism, prisons need to have better rehabilitation programs to make ex-convicts into productive members of society.

These laws operate collectively to ensure that the vast majority of convicted offenders will never integrate into mainstream, white society. “They will be discriminated against for the rest of their lives. Denied employment, housing, education, and public benefits” (187). Once released, ex-offenders face a series of laws that make re-entering society incredibly difficult thus inflicting a secondary and invisible punishment. Unable to face all the obstacles, most of them will return to prison and will be release again. This becomes a cycle of their

The main purpose of this act was to ensure that the juvenile and adult offenders and their families are facilitated to reenter the society. The main motive was to increase and improve public safety and at the same time make sure that the increasing population of prison inmates getting reintroduced into society is taken care of (Freudenberg, Daniels, Crum, Perkins, & Richie, 2005). Post the passing of legislation, there were a number of issues that were brought up by the opposition.

The United States have moved away from rehabilitating offenders. Incarcerating offenders without trying to rehabilitate them only increases the chances of them returning back to jail or prison. The correctional system should focus their attention on rehabilitating offenders and looking at alternatives to

Ex-offenders face many challenges after being released into society after prison. This prolonged issue has gone on for quite some time in the United States, and it has been since recent decade that the United States has discovered reentry for prisoners (Johnson & Cullen, 2015). In 2007, the Second Chance Act of 2007 was introduced to break the cycle of recidivism; to rebuild ties between offenders and their families before and after incarcerated to encourage and support offenders; to protect the public; to provide and promote law-abiding conduct; to assist offenders in establishing a self-sustaining and law-abiding life providing sufficient transition

The federal government of Canada fifteen years ago, in 1984, the Liberal party changed the Juvenile Delinquents Acts to the Youth Offenders Act to have a “More human approach to the rights of young people before the law”(Leschild and Jaffe, 8:1991). In the present such as Premier, Mike Harris, of Ontario wants the federal government of Canada to scrap the Young Offenders Act. In 1999, the same party that came up with the act is making majors changes to the act. This report will look at the young offenders act at the present time, look at why kids commit crime, what is being done to improve the act, what has the province done towards teenagers and also a look at the United Sates youth system.