Offender Reentry Initiative

Many offenders who are released from prison encounter many obstacles which hinder their progress towards community re-entry. On their own, many fail to secure employment, housing, or complete education or training programs. Without guidance or assistance many offenders return to crime to support themselves. Fortunately there are number of organizations that see the need for services to assist offenders on their path back into the community. One such organization that has proven to be successful is the Safer Foundation.

This model of corrections main purpose was to reintroducing the offenders in to the community. This Program was invented to help offenders in the transition from jail to the community, aid in the processes of finding jobs and stay connected to their families and the community. The needs of these individuals are difficult: the frequency of substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, and homelessness is

The problem with prison reentry has been going on for many years in the United States, as I discussed in assignments one and two. Recidivism issues can often be linked with reentry issues because when offenders are returning to society, they need to be prepared, which is something that our current criminal justice system is not trying to achieve. In order to create some defensible solutions for prison reentry and the recidivism issues linked to prison reentry, the criminal justice system has to realize that there is no one overall solution because every offender have different offenses, different stories, different outcomes, and different prison sentences. Because of this, each offender's return to society will be different, and the reentry

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

To support my assumption there is an immediate need for the implementation of a reentry plan; I have reviewed the opinions of other criminologist such as Reginald A. Wilkinson (2008). Wilkinson (2008) has written several articles on the need for incarcerated offender reentry plans. In one of his articles entitled "Incarceration and Beyond: A Personal Perspective” (2008), Wilkinson states, “the overarching idea is that prison reentry programming should commence upon each offender’s admission to the reception center” Wilkinson goes on to say that those released without a reentry plan will affect the percentage of those returning to incarceration and have a negative effect on a communities budget and security”. Consequently, I can assume that if a reentry plan is implemented immediately, the department will save and better spend its budget dollars and stop what I call “the swinging door effect”. I define the “swinging door effect” as the repeated return of offenders into incarceration within a short period of time such. Based on personal interviews along with release document reviews, I can assume a reentry plan was not implemented and likely created the “swinging door effect”. Consequently, I have found the repeated return of offenders into incarceration within a short period of time is a problem that keeps tax dollars from being spent wisely and will affect a community’s economy and security.

Many criminals are sent to jail on a day to day basis. Once they have completed their sentence they are faced with many problems once they are “free”. These problems can be but are not limited to housing, employment, and substance abuse. The prisoner, once they are released, has a tendency to go back to their old ways and to continue the life of crime they were a part of prior to prison. To avoid this, while a prisoner is in prison, the staff creates a reentry program for the prisoner. The reentry program takes affect once the prisoner leaves prison. These programs are created within the community to help the offender from committing new crimes and to integrate them back into society. These programs are also created to help with

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

It analyzed 229 REP clients to a contemporaneous cohort of 370 offenders released to non-REP neighborhoods in Baltimore City (Wall and Poole, n.d.). The quasi-experimental design tested whether REP reduced the widespread and occurrence of criminal justice obligations. The question at hand is whether the program was cost-beneficial. The quasi-experimental research attempted to determine causal relationships between the offender and the community by applying a treatment or condition to one group and comparing the outcome with a control group (Wall and Poole, n.d.). This resulted in REP clients committing fewer new crimes. Research also concluded that by reintegrating ex-offenders with their families it has significant benefits for families who suffer from the loss of emotional and interpersonal support (Wall and Poole, n.d.). The study also dissected the capability of a family who had a loss of income due to incarceration. By rebuilding family bonds during the transition from confinement to reintegrating can potentially reduce and prevent intergenerational cycles of crime (Latesse and Smith,

strengthening re-entry programs in federal prisons designed to reduce recidivism and enhance reintegration into the workforce after

The United States justice system can be described as a cycle, where people enter the prison system, are released, and upon failure to integrate into society soon find themselves back behind bars. Although the means in which the cycle is perpetuated can be argued, the rate of re-offenders is constantly trying to be reduced. One term used to define this type of convict is recidivism, which is the repeat criminal action of a convicted inmate. Recidivism is fastly becoming a issue in the United States as it has been shown that 70% of convicted offenders have been reconvicted within three years of release (Esperian, 2010, p. 322). As crime of any background can be detrimental to society, this high rate of reentry into the justice system has stimulated

Adjusting to life after incarceration can be a very long and difficult process to overcome. There are many obstacles people face when returning home for the first time in years. Most people generally come home to nothing and have to try to make a life out of it. As an ex-con you face stigma, lack of opportunities and the constant risk of recidivism. Recidivism is the ongoing cycle of incarceration. You continue to be in and out of prison because you cannot successfully re-transition into society. This topic is worth investigating because recidivism is a current problem in the United States and it usually takes place because the justice system fails to prepare their inmates for what life will be like. Rehabilitation is key and because there is a lack of that there is a lack of success in offenders returning home. Young adults should be aware of recidivism because they can easily be sucked into the system and this can happen to them. They can find themselves in a position where they end up in prison and fall victim to recidivism. Questions that will guide this research include:

As a result, most people, especially the young, resume criminal activity once they are released from these institutions. The failure of these institutions to produce rehabilitated individuals has been blamed on systemic flaws that inhibit proper functioning of the correctional institutions (Latessa, Listwan and Koetzle, 2014). These failures may be addressed when the capacity of the institutions is boosted. There is need for the employment of personnel who are qualified to guide incarcerated individuals in their transition into normal life. These personnel include probation officers who are required to monitor the movements and activities of individuals released from correctional institutions. The revamping of the correctional institutions needs to focus on training such individuals as probation officers to enable them better serve released convicts (Latessa, Listwan and Koetzle, 2014).

This essay will explore the factors that take a key play in a successful Reintegration of a rehabilitated offender. To have a successful reentry the offender is offered thru their Correctional Facility the following: Employment, Family Support, Financial Stability, Involvement in substance abuse programs, and Stabilization of any mental illness. Through discussion I will explain the pros and cons those rehabilitated face when re-entering society.

Upon release from prison, approximately 600,000 of ex-offenders are being released back into the community annually and will confront legal obstacles in their journey to reenter society. Many prisoners’ ex-offenders return to prison because they are unable to make the transition back into society. One factor that influences recidivism is lack of access to housing.

Rehabilitation is significant to creating successful individuals out of current inmates. It promotes competency, positive behaviors, and professional as well as social success. Crime is dynamic from one place to another (Sykes, 2007). This means that the level of crime is also distinguished among people serving time in correctional facilities. As a result, there is a necessity for a focus on helping inmates cope with the problems in their areas of custody, so as to ensure that these particular people are made productive. This process can be