Reentry and the American Prison System

There are many barriers to reentry. The convicted felon is denied the right to vote, they are not granted access to student loans, welfare benefits, public housing, or food stamps (Gideon & Sung, 2011, p. 8). In addition, these released offenders regularly return to communities that are experiencing social decay, are plagued by poverty, and few employment opportunities (Gideon & Sung, 2011, p. 8). They are also denied entry into a number of employment fields due to their status as a felon. Denying them assistance and a social safety net often hinders their reentry abilities and their transformation to a law-abiding citizen (Gideon & Sung, 2011, p. 8). As mentioned prior, the added burden of intensive supervision can also be problematic to successful reentry.

"Local faith-based and community organizations (FBCO) reentry programs can provide ex-prisoners with the compassion and services they need to thrive in the communities they are returning to. Placing ex-prisoners in steady employment that matches their abilities and needs is an important effort that helps ensure the safety of America’s streets and the successful integration of ex-prisoners into America’s communities. Recidivism is a vicious cycle of crime, prison, more crime, re-imprisonment, and so on. Statistics show that more than two-thirds of released prisoners will be charged with new crimes within three years following their release, and over half will be reincarcerated. According to criminal justice experts, an attachment to the labor force through stable employment, in concert with family and community

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

According to the National Bureau of Justice statistics on recidivism, it was found that within three years of release, about two thirds of released offenders were rearrested; of those rearrested, more than half were rearrested by the end of their first year of release (National Institute of Justice 2014). Most of the inmates are returning inmates, and have been caught in the vicious cycle of the system. Society does little to help reintegrate convicted offenders back into a normal lifestyle, making it difficult to find work and housing, while putting a strain on family members’ lives and relationships. The

Before we began researching this topic, I thought that the American incarceration system was working well. However, I had some previous knowledge, from news articles saying that many of our prisons were overcrowded and many have poor living conditions. Additionally, I did see the occasional new story on a prisoner bringing to the press the poor conditions they went through while in prison. So when we decided to look into this topic, I was interested in learning about

There are numerous studies that examine the recidivism rates in various states and in the nation. The studies come back with similar results. A Department of Justice study of recidivism in 30 states found that more than two-thirds (67.8%) of released prisoners were arrested for a new crime within three years and more than three-fourths (76.6%) were arrested within five years (DOJ Recidivism 2010). Other studies give similar numbers, including the fact that over half (51.8%) of people released from prison end up back behind bars (Jonson and Cullen 2015). These numbers indicate serious problems with prisoner reentry into society. Some scholars go so far as to claim that the results of various studies “reveal that inmate reentry is marked by widespread failure. High proportions of released offenders have contact with the law, often soon after reentry, and about half are reincarcerated,” (Jonson and Cullen 2015).

Nearly, 5% of the world 's population is represented by the United who possesses 25% of the world 's prisoners (Liptak, 2008). Approximately 2.2 million prisoners are awaiting pre-trial and 1.6 million post-trial inmates are incarcerated in city, state, and federal prisons throughout the United States, equating to 756 per 100,000 people incarcerated (Carson & Golinelli, 2013; Exworthy et. al., 2012). Nearly 700,000 men and women are discharged from prison yearly (Mallik-Kane & Visher, 2008). Recidivism places a strain on the prison by means of over crowdedness and lack of funds. Recidivism is defined as repeated arrest or incarceration. A report, by the Bureau of Justice states that over 2/3 ex-felons were re-incarcerated within three years of previous conviction; eight out of ten suffers from chronic health conditions (James & Glaze, 2006). Mental illness in the United States criminal justice system is significantly prevalent. The Bureau of Justice and Statics report that approximately 73% of females and 55% of males are in state prisons, while 75% of females and 63% of males are in local jails (James & Glaze, 2006). Within this population, female inmates represent a large portion of those incarcerated in federal prisons diagnosed with mental

Prisoner reentry has recently returned to policymaking agenda, as the need to remedy the cycle of incarceration is being acknowledge and addressed. With this renewed interest in reentry come federal funds and an effort to rigorously evaluate programs aimed at helping prisoners successfully reintegrate into their communities. This paper examines these initiatives, describing lessons learned and identifying obstacles of both program implementation and evaluation. The goal is to provide insights and recommendations for policymakers and practitioners in order to facilitate the development of evidence-based practices. I find that many

The focus of this paper was to evaluate a reentry program in the state of Washington. For the purpose of this evaluation, the author(s) evaluated reentry efforts and measured recidivism rates for participants in Washington State Department of Corrections Going Home project. Targeted audiences for this assessment were the general public, policy makers, program implementers, evaluators, academics, and the state government.

Family and companion attitudes can negatively affect the offender’s reentry efforts. Offenders who feel they will face dismissal from family and companions after discharge will probably have stronger relationships with individuals who share their own criminogenic state of mind, such as other ex-offenders, which will increase the likelihood of recidivism. These negative affiliations frequently cause an offender to be all the more profoundly installed in a criminal way of life, which influences his or her capacity to effectively reintegrate upon discharge (Benson et al., 2011). Another negative circumstance for offenders is when they are not invited once again into their families; in situations like this they face social isolation, which negatively affects their general wellbeing and additionally their reentry results. Not only is isolations from the family a factor, contributing factors related to personal and structural forces also affect the success of the offender’s reentry, which limits their control over the circumstances. These forces affecting the reentry efforts incorporate the family’s motivation, temptation to return to the streets and rejoin former criminogenic companions, and post-imprisonment segregation that restricts the family's capacity to find work (Grieb et al.,

Over 700,000 inmates are released from state and federal prisons and put back on the streets. Over half of them end up back in the system (Cook, Kang, Braga, Ludwig, O’Brien (2015)). They end up back into the system because they can’t fend for themselves, don’t have family left or go back into the drugs and alcohol or what they were doing before. Re-entering into society can be hard, specifically talking about offenders who have been incarcerated for years. Those that are up for release and those who have been released have trouble finding a job or even getting a job. Being in a jail or prison cell is hard enough, let alone trying to re-enter society after many years behind bars. For some inmates, it is easy because they have family still in the area or those willing to come from far away to take them back home. Inmates re-entering into society have a lot of work to do starting with themselves. Male and female inmates have different recidivism rates and females have more access to re-entry programs than males do.

Recidivism is the return to criminal activity after a criminal offender has been released back into society. Understanding recidivism and rates of recidivism of released criminal offenders is an important part of criminal psychology. Having this knowledge can improve the parole program and the chances of a former criminal offender committing another crime that would send them back into the criminal justice system. Recidivism is also important to the criminal justice system when studying topics such as incapacitation, specific deterrence, and rehabilitation. According to the National Institute of Justice a released offender will either distance themselves from all and anything related to criminal activate or recidivate after their release.

The United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. According to the United States Department of Justice, “over 10,000 ex-prisoners are released from America’s state and federal prisons every week and arrive on the doorsteps of our nation's communities”, resulting in more than 650,000 ex-offenders who are released from prison every year. Research and “studies show that approximately two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release” (United States Department of Justice). The cause of ex-offenders turning to reoffending is they face an endless amount of challenges once they are released from prison. Serving their sentence was only one battle, but not many realize that reintegrating back into society is an entirely different battle.

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:

According to Stevenson wrote, “Today we have the highest rate of incarceration in the world.” (15). In the United States, one of the primary goals of the prison system is to rehabilitate prisoners that they will not commit again. Unfortunately, some individuals will be back to their life of crime for some reasons. Lack of support, lack of relationships, and inability to obtain employment are the essential causes of recidivism today.