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Do lower rates of recidivism benefit society?
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With more than 2 million [2] people incarcerated in the United States, recidivism harms both the families of inmates and society in general, as taxpayers continue to support a broken system that sets ex-offenders up to fail once they are released.
Jul 13, 2022 · Society. Rethinking prison as a deterrent to future crime. Time behind bars can increase the likelihood that someone will re-offend, research finds. In many cases, programs that rehabilitate, rather than punish, may be a better solution. By Jamie Santa Cruz 07.13.2022.
Jun 7, 2024 · Recidivism and Reentry. What makes people more or less likely to succeed upon release? We’ve curated below virtually all of the research about reentry and recidivism available online.
- FACT 1 — The share of Americans under correctional supervision more than tripled from 1980 to 2007. Over the past 30 years incarceration in the United States has increased to unprecedented levels, with about 2.25 million Americans held in local jails or in state and federal prisons in 2014 (Bureau of Justice Statistics [BJS] n.d.).
- FACT 2 — State prisoners serve about three years on average for their crimes—a one-quarter increase since 1984. Prison populations can increase when more people enter prison or when convicted prisoners receive longer sentences.
- FACT 3 — Corrections spending varies widely across states. In 2012 the United States spent more than $265 billion ($845 per person) on criminal justice, including corrections, policing, and judicial expenses (BJS 2015b; Census Bureau n.d.).
- FACT 4 — Many states with similar rates of violent crime have different rates of incarceration. Our criminal justice system is predominantly state based, with states’ policy decisions affecting far more people than federal policy decisions.
- Overview
- Factors That Impact Recidivism
- Strategies to Reduce Recidivism Rates
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After spending years in prison because of crimes he committed, a prisoner is released. Thankful for a second chance, he dedicates himself to living a changed life. He gets a job and finds legal ways to support his family.
And yet, in just a few short years later, he commits another crime and returns to jail. For many prisoners, this is a familiar story. In fact, a recent study from the US Department of Justice found that 82% of prisoners who were released were arrested again within 10 years of getting out of jail.
Returning to prison for illegal acts is called reoffending. The likelihood of reoffending is called recidivism.
“As a forensic psychologist, I refer to the term recidivism as an individual's likeliness to reengage in criminal offenses or to re-offend,” explains Leslie Dobson, PsyD, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist. “We structure our violence risk assessments around factors that allow us to gauge the percentage of likeliness of a person committing a crime if they get out of prison or if they are no longer on parole or probation,” she adds.
It's important to understand why a person may be more susceptible to repeating criminal acts. Knowing why can help officials who offer rehabilitation services in prisons. It can also affect programs that are available to prisoners when they are released. And it may even give officials tools to help prisoners turn from that behavior once they get out of jail.
What makes a person likely to become involved again in criminal behavior? Why does one person decide to leave their criminal past behind, while another follows the same pattern over and over? Experts say there’s not a simple answer to those questions. You have to look at a person holistically to figure out if they’re likely to re-offend.
“Recidivism is measured through looking at a person's history, a person's current clinical presentation, and a person's realistic future planning or lack of realistic future planning,” explains Dr. Dobson. “So, we can look at a 40-year-old man who was in prison for 40 years and compare the likeliness of his recidivism to other individuals with similar crimes, backgrounds, age, ethnicity, etc.” she states.
A person's past criminal history is indicative of future violence. If a person has criminal versatility such as many different types of crimes, they are more likely to recidivate in the future
Research also shows that the age of a person at the time they committed the crime, and the steps taken to help restore them, have a significant impact on their recidivism risk. Family involvement, mental and physical health, lack of control over impulses, and whether a person is sorry for their crimes also make a difference.
Exterior factors, such as returning a person to the same environment, failing to give them tools to think differently and succeed, and not providing opportunities create a greater chance of a person resorting to criminal behavior again.
“A person's past criminal history is indicative of future violence. If a person has criminal versatility such as many different types of crimes, they are more likely to recidivate in the future,” adds Dr. Dobson. She notes that she has observed real-life examples of recidivism in action—and saw outside circumstances make a difference in their internal actions.
Recidivism rates can vary widely, depending on whether research is looking at the factors alone, or incorporating the rates of prisoners who actually reoffend into their numbers.
Either way, people understand that the tendency to re-offend is the problem. The hope is to find solutions that can make a positive difference. Here are a few strategies to make that happen.
1.Change the environment that a former prisoner returns to after being in jail. “Help people find supportive groups, whether it’s AA for alcoholics or intensive outpatient programs to help heal trauma. Encourage people to surround themselves with the new people they meet and that they like from these groups and programs,” advises Carl Nassar, PhD.
2.Give them opportunities to redirect their focus and do something they enjoy. “Help people find work that is meaningful to them. People can discover a sense of place and a sense of pride in good work,” Dr. Nassar says.
3.Provide the help they need to heal inwardly. Link them up with mental health professionals who can address the reasons that they engaged in the behavior in the first place.
4.Don’t judge them according to their past. Instead of treating them as if their criminal acts define them, respect who they have become and help them achieve their aspirations for the future. This includes encouraging and supporting them during their time in prison.
- Lakeisha Fleming
Aug 8, 2021 · Lower rates of recidivism do not singularly benefit society by reducing the rate of crime but also by reducing prison populations, saving taxpayers’ dollars, and most pertinently, ensuring that prisons are serving their purpose of reform and improvement.
Apr 28, 2022 · Recidivism — which refers to a return to criminal behavior — is a common measure of an individual’s success after release from prison, but it falls short of describing other, positive elements of reentry into society.
