Reentry And Reentry Initiatives : Jenifer

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

During the past decade, there has been a newly found interest in prisoner reentry. This is due to a change in many of the factors surrounding the release of convicted felons and their reentry into to the community (Visher, C. A., & Travis, J. 2003). The number of people incarcerated in the United States prisons has quintupled and correctional facilities are working on getting them back into the community. Over half of the convicted felons that are released from prison return to correctional systems within one year of their release date. One of the most common reasons for their return into the prison systems is because many

In the United States, each day approximately 1,600 adults are released from state and federal penitentiaries to reintegrate back into the community (Gunnison & Helfgott, 2013). Reentry programs have been created all over the nation to help offenders successfully transition from prison into society. Offenders are confronted with numerous obstacles when attempting to reintegrate back into society. Ninety-five percent of offenders are released to reintegrate back into the community (Davis, Bahr, & Ward, 2013). Upon release, ex-offenders realize that despite the fact that they are no longer incarcerated, they face many restrictions. The restorative justice development rose to address the disappointment of the criminal justice framework to manage victims, offenders, and communities in an integrated way. A core focus of this development has been to expand the role of the community in advocating changes that will avert the issues and conditions related with crime and the demand for a criminal justice intervention (Hass & Saxon, 2012).

Reintegration’s goal is to use the time criminals spend under correctional supervision as a means to prepare the, to be able to reenter/reintegrate back into free society as well equipped as possible (Stohr, Walsh, & Hemmens, 2013, p.10). It is not too far from rehabilitation, but can be more realistic because it focuses on concrete programs such as job skill training or experience building rather than just changing an offender’s attitude.

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.

The difficulty of implementing a successful reentry strategy is not only a dilemma for the state of Hawaii but also a national dilemma. Every year it estimated that 650 offenders are released from state and federal prisons nationally and more than a million are released from local jails (BOJS, 2009). At present in the State of Hawaii, there are over 19,000 offenders on probation. On any given day, thousands of these probationers are facing possible revocation and re-sentencing to jail and/or prison terms. If only 5% of the probation population were re-sentenced to jail and/or prison, that would equate to an increase of at least 950 offenders being sent to Hawaii jails and prisons (PSD). Additionally, there are over 1,900 convicted felons on parole statewide. On any given day, the Hawaii Paroling Authority has an average of 180 to 220 outstanding active warrants to retake parolees that poses an undue risk to the public's safety (HPA). More than 50% of those released will be incarcerated again for parole violations

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

Included in the ADOC’s work for the past several years, the division has created the Alaska Prisoner Reentry Initiative (AK-PRI) who represented by the building of a foundation for the five year endeavor that has led to the leading efforts in reducing recidivism. The AK-PRI has a vision that every returning citizen released from incarceration will be supplied with support and the tools needed for achieving success in their communities. The framework of AK-PRI is structured for Alaska, but its foundation is modeled by the advancements in reentry developed by the National Prisoner Reentry Council and the National Institute of Corrections by way of the Transition from Prison to Community (TPC) framework (ADOC, 2015; Gutierrez, 2011; Gutierrez, 2015a). The advancements provide direction for specific justice policies outlined in Alaska as “Targets for Change” in improving the reentry process for all returning citizens (Periman, 2014, ADOC, 2015; ACJC, 2016a). The Targets for Change are outlined in a three phase outline in the TPC framework phases: Phase 1, Getting ready, the institutional phase; Phase 2, Going Home, the pre-release phase; Phase 3, Staying Home, the community supervision and discharge phase; each phase has seven individual primary decision stages that make up the reentry process (Gutierrez, 2011; Periman, 2014; ADOC, 2015). The Framework accommodates a practical outline to provide guidance for Alaska’s plan of meeting the operational goals of the Council; this allows the freedom to state organizations to implement immediate focus on goals outlined for each Target for Change (Periman, 2014; ACJC, 2015; ADOC 2015; Pew Trusts, 2016). There are three important components of the Framework, that need to be in place for best possibility of reforming

The incarceration of individuals usually has a bad outcome not only for the offender, but also the offender family. Being incarcerated steals the individual’s life and opportunity of being a productive citizens. Implementing alternatives will reduce the likelihood of overcrowding. That is because alternatives will give offenders the opportunity to attend a

Q= what types of rehabilitation programs are offered in prisons? What programs are most successful? What are the principles of effective programs?

Reentry is defined as those offenders who have served their time and are transitioning from incarceration to the community. The reentry involves the rehabilitation of ex-offenders by implementing programs that can effectively assist ex-offenders with their release into society. The reentry programs are important because they affect not only the ex-offenders, but their families, the community, and the criminal justice system. Research has shown that when ex-offenders are released from prison or jail, their main support is from their families who are highly invested in their success and that is why it is important to have the resources in place to help the ex-offenders with their transition. (Michigan Department of Corrections, 2017)

The three key goals victims can pursue through the criminal justice system is to punish the offender, compel law breakers to undergo rehabilitate treatment and restitution. Punishment is usually justified on utilitarian grounds as evil. Although it is argued that making transgressors suffer curbs future criminality in a number of ways. It is said if an offender gets punished by unpleasant and unwanted consequences it will most likely discouraged him/her from breaking the law again. Also it satisfies victims thirst for revenge and prevents future vigilantism and incapacitates dangerous predators so they can be off the streets; a safer community. Rehabilitation, some victims want professionals to help offenders become decent,

Recidivism is the result of a former prisoner relapsing into criminal activity and returning to prison for a new offense. It is estimated that approximately two-thirds of

Each year, thousands of adults all in the United States go to prison for crimes that may both minor and atrocious. Almost as many incarcerated adults will leave their prison walls to be once again reunited with families and communities that they left behind. While there are some stories of successful reintegration into families and communities, many others fail and end up being re-incarcerated, a process known as recidivism.