Recidivism

            Recidivism - the rate at which offenders commit other crimes after being released from incarceration – has often been a measure of how well the correctional system is working.  Unfortunately, however, the recidivism rates around the country continue to hover around 60 percent.  While it is difficult to place blame, the lack of rehabilitation and re-entry programs within prisons has certainly not aided in decreasing these rates.  Without treatment programs or services within the prison it is very unlikely that there will be a significant effect on reducing recidivism from punishment alone. Not only must these programs be administered, but they must also be focused on the difficult task of finding employment and adequate housing. It is in the interest of the people of today’s society to make sure they are exploring all options to correct these felons before release, so they can become successful members of society.

            With constraints on budgets in prisons across America, treatment programs are being shutdown or monitored to determine the costs that can be saved. Cost is and will always be the biggest factor; however if people in society want their communities safe and want felons to function in society, it is important for rehabilitative programs not to fall by the way side. This is a major cause to why prisoners relapse back into the prison system. Every day behind bars they are surrounded by criminals who have done similar or worse offenses, and become better criminals on the inside than they were before they entered the prison. In the video tour of the prison at Stateville, there were some cases in which prisoners rehabilitated themselves. However being surrounded in a terrible harsh environment it would be hard to channel your energy and have the means to rehabilitate yourself.

            Currently our system is addicted to other forms of punishment thinking this is rehabilitating enough, such as incarceration and deterrence. America has come to believe that we can stop all crime simply by incarcerating as many criminals as possible and this will deter crime for offenders doing the same crime. While crime may be decreasing our prison population balloons to an exorbitant amount. The United States has constructed the largest prison system in the world, with over 2 million inmates currently incarcerated. In large part, the prison population has increased at such a drastic rate because of public policy makers and their attitudes toward crime and incarceration as well as prisoners who return to prison after release. America has been reliant on “get tough on crime” policies, which has led to overcrowding of prisons. When a prisoner is released from prison, one of the main reasons they return to prison is because of drugs. If America reduced the penalties for drugs such as marijuana, we could have fewer prisoners in the system.

Without treatment programs in our correctional facilities it is highly unlikely for prisoners to succeed and function normally in society. Not only should these programs be targeted on treating the individual themselves but guiding them in the right path to find a job and adequate housing once released. Overall I think that America should implement rehabilitation programs into all prisons. While deterrence and other forms of punishment may be cost effective, in the long run we as tax payers are paying more for each prisoner locked up. I think each prisoner deserves a second chance and should be evaluated after treatment to have a good transition into society.

Do you think convicted felons deserve a second chance? Is America too reliant on other forms of punishment such as deterrence and incarceration? Are rehabilitation programs needed in our prisons considering the amount of prisoners re-entering the prisons after release?