...Work Release Programs and Recidivism Veronica M. Chapa CRIJ 4308 Capstone in Criminal Justice Spring II 2015 Introduction In searching what the biggest problem is in the criminal justice system, so many problems arise. One of the biggest problems that stuck out was the fact that the work release programs and recidivism are still an issue. What can this nation do to improve the work release programs and reduce recidivism? If this nation had more opportunities for those who are being released from prison from an extensive stay and who have lost the ability to understand how it is to live in the “real world”, maybe they would not turn back to crime and rejoin their peers in prison. This is a problem because there is a big issue with the overcrowding of prisons, and if we can reduce recidivism, then there will not be an issue of overcrowded prisons and people would start to turn their lives around. ““In light of rapidly rising prison populations in a vast number of jurisdictions, on the one hand, and high corresponding recidivism rates, on the other, the need for renewed focus on reintegrating prisoners into the community has become urgent” (Cheliotis, 2008). The purpose of this study is to show how there is an issue with the lack of work release programs for prisoners who are being released and how with these programs, the nation can reduce recidivism. It is important to study this because with many ex-prisoners who are not use to living in the “real world”, turn back to...
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...Recidivism Introduction Recidivism is defined by USlegal.com is a tendency to lapse into a previous pattern of behavior, especially a pattern of criminal habits. This research it will focus on the pattern of criminal behavior/habits. The topic of recidivism will be focused on the re-arrest, reconviction, or re-incarceration of former inmates. Recidivism is recognized as a serious variable outcome in corrections and a very complicated measurement problem. Recidivism occurs because of a new conviction or a violation of post-prison supervision on probation or parole. Statistical research studies have shown that recidivism occurs normally within a three year period from a prisoners release date and his/her return to prison or jail. Juveniles have the highest recidivism rate and it has been suggested from research to be caused due lower education and alcohol and or drug use. A current trend with court systems throughout the country is to use drug and alcohol treatment programs to reduce recidivism rates of offenders who commit drug and or alcohol related crimes. Higher education is strongly emphasized as well as programs to help prisoners to deal with and cope with the issues of being released back into regular society (Infoplease.com, 2007). The questions is does this work? The realistic and proven answer is that it does for some and for others it does not. Recidivism is an important issue with those concerned with public safety and the cost effectiveness of putting convicted...
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...Kutner Reducing Recidivism in today’s Society Final Project: Persuasive Research Paper Reducing Recidivism in today’s Society Education and job skills are key elements to reducing recidivism therefore; prisons, county jails, and the probation offices should adopt mandatory programs so ex-offenders can become productive members of society. Every year approximately 9 million people are released from prison in the U.S. (Center, T. N.-e., 2012) and due to lack of education and job skills, 52% of those 9 million returns within three years. According to Yamatani & Spjeldnes (2011), “The United States represents only 5 percent of the world’s population, but we hold 25 percent of the world's inmates in our prisons and jails (Pew Center on the States, 2008). We have more people behind bars in total numbers and per capita than any other industrialized country--2.3 million out of nearly 300 million (750 per 100,000 residents)--one out of 100 U.S.” This essay will show the difference between recidivism and rehabilitation as well as showing how education and job training can effectively reduce the rate of recidivism in the U.S. What is recidivism you ask? The Merriam-Webster defines recidivism as a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior (Merriam-Webster Dictionary, 2012). Recidivism comes into play because people who have limited education and no job skills tend...
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...Introduction There are about 2.3 million people currently in the nation’s prisons and jails. (that would be 1 in 10 Americans). The US leads the world in mass incarceration. The US has more people in jail than China and Russia combined. (Stern, 2014). The majority of people would relate punishment with prison. And they are not far from the truth as prisons are facilities that give retribution to people for their bad choices, and deter them from committing new crimes. However, the majority of prisons also offer social services to prisoners so when they leave, they have the needed instruments to reintegrate into society. Most prisons offer numerous programs...
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...occur in a residential or community setting outside of jail or prison. The sanctions are enforced by agencies or courts with legal authority over the adult or juvenile offenders. Community corrections programs are generally operated by probation agencies (correctional supervision within the community instead of incarceration) and parole agencies (conditional, supervised release from prison).” (National Institute of Justice, 2015) These community based corrections are most of the time for lower level offenders. These offenders have committed crimes, but are not harsh enough crimes to be put into a prison where they are under constant security. These individuals in these programs may have just got out of prison, or have charges against them that only required the supervision or a probation officer. They may also be able to get help with drug and alcohol problems, grief and bereavement issues, and depression or self- esteem issues. These programs are offered and the Federal, State, and local levels. We will be discussing a program that is at the State/Local level. I currently reside in the state of Florida so I have decided to do the community corrections of Florida as a whole. This way we can take a look at every aspect that the Florida Department of Corrections deals with in terms of Community Corrections. Here is some information that I have found that will give you an insight on what the state of Florida does for community corrections. “The Florida Department of Corrections...
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...Running Head: CORRECTIONAL THEORIES 2 Abstract In today’s system, there are several competing theories for what approach should be taken to improve the correctional system. Certain strategies, such as punishment and rehabilitation, have different goals. These goals, in most cases, are different from each other. People all over prefer one strategy to the other, and compelling evidence can be brought into perspective for each. Aside form the usual, non traditional aspects and approaches to fixing the corrections system are also talked about today. This paper will discuss all elements of corrections theories, its goals, its effectiveness, and the rating of completion of academic and vocational programs offered to inmates in prison. Running Head: CORRECTIONAL THEORIES 3 Competing Theories Of Corrections In The Criminal Justice System In today’s day and age, many views and criticism take place of the Criminal Justice system. In specific, the correctional aspect of the system receives much of this criticism. There are two strategies particularly that come into play most often when speaking of corrections. These two strategies are punishment, and rehabilitation. Each of these strategies have its own set of goals and its own set of skepticisms from outsiders. On one hand, people may prefer punishment and its goals, and on the other some may solely believe in rehabilitating inmates. Each approach has it benefits, as...
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...Its Effects: Institutional and Post Release Community Corrections, CRJ 341 Jonathan L. Kaiser Abstract Reentry is a challenge many offenders face once they are incarcerated and released into society. The term “reentry’” is a synonym for return and is defined as the act of going back to a prior place, location, situation or setting. Prison re-entry refers to the transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community. The concept of life in society is an important part of any reintegration of institutionalized people, including people who have been incarcerated for committing a crime. The institutionalization of a population leads to isolation, segregation and detachment of the elements of a company defining the basis of citizenship. Although individuals often returning to the community focus more on the choice of where they dwell, their long-term success in society is more likely to be dependent on the social roles they have chosen to play, to the extent that they will engage in the community and they have been prepared for this purpose during their incarceration or institutionalization. Reentry can help reduce recidivism as well as assist those who have been previously incarcerated to begin leading law abiding lives once released into society. However, overtime the importance of prisoner reentry has been drastically lowered with less emphasis on helping those to prepare for their release and with post release community integration. As a result, the...
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...sentences for young offenders. This essay will delve into information that will bring the various issues to light. Firstly an explanation of Bill C-10 will be provided to understand what changes will be made to the Criminal code and who it affects. The dissection of the Bill will open the dialogue for this essay for appropriating topical issues with the concept of progress in a manner that reflects the trouble that this Bill brings to Canadian society. Bill C-10 was introduced by the Minister of Justice on the 20th of September 2011. The Act includes the enactment of the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act and amendments to the State Immunity Act, the Criminal Code, the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Youth Criminal Justice Act, the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act and other relevant legal documents (parl.gc.ca). Bill C-10 is also titled the Safe Streets and Communities Act but many critics say that this title is very misleading. The first Part of the Bill is the creation of the Justice for Victims of Terrorism Act which introduces a cause of action for victims of terrorism, allowing...
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...Ex-convicts do not live an easy lifestyle in prison, however, when they reenter society, they have even bigger struggles to face. In the outside world ex-convicts do not face the intimidation of other convicts, but rather disrespectful and pessimistic attitudes from employers. Ex-convicts are immediately judged and labeled based off of their rap sheet. What these employers seem to forget is that, these ex-convicts are people trying to make a living as well. Jeremy Travis, President of Criminal Justice at John Jay College, and Christy A. Visher, Director of The Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies (CDAS) at the University of Delaware, performed a study on prisoners and their needs to adapt back into society with more ease. In their article, Travis and Diaz 2 Visher touched upon the previously mentioned idea, “Individuals returning home from prison have been shaped by their offending and substance abuse histories, their work skills and job histories, their mental and physical health, their prison experiences, and their attitudes, beliefs, and personality traits.” (Travis, Visher pg 91) Travis and Visher are not specifically referring to employers, but that is where most discrimination on ex-convicts occurs simply from the section on the work application that asks if one has ever had any trouble with the law. Any person who has to check that box must feel discouraged in some way. One may argue that having an ex-convict in their work place will cause uneasy tensions between...
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...“Prison Work Release” Maurice Stokes Wilmington University In the United States, more than 600,000 prisoners male and female are released every year from a correctional facility. However within three years of release, at least 50 percent of released prisoners are back behind bars serving more time for additional crimes or some type of probation violation. Prison “Work Release” has the potential to serve as a structured re-entry program into the mainstream job market. In a thriving or booming economy, improvement in the legal job market, opportunities should help reduce criminal activity. After evaluating several treatment programs to address the non-random selection of inmates who would qualify for “Work Release”, data has shown that inmates who participate in the program have better post-prison employment outcomes. While unconditional estimates suggest a large positive job market effect for three years following release, the various corrections for selection into the work release program leaves some doubt about the duration of a work release treatment. It should also be noted that a thriving job market does not necessarily translate into reduced recidivism. The reduction of recidivism is dependent on the type of crimes offenders committed. Better labor market opportunities reduce recidivism for those who are convicted of white-collar crimes, but have no impact on offenders who committed non white-collar crimes. In prison systems, work release programs allows selected...
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...priority and commitment to help keep these offenders in the community and from not reentering into the system. The research included in this paper examines different approaches made by criminal justice professionals to help reduce the rates of recidivism. Recidivism refers to an offenders relapse to criminal activity, causing reentry to the criminal system. Millions of adults in the U.S. are currently in the criminal system, whether it be incarceration, parole or probation (Ph.D., 1998). The Bureau of Justice Statistics found in a study that 404,638 state prisoners from 30 states were released in 2005. Out of that number, 67.8 percent of these offenders were re-arrested within three years of their release and 76.6 percent were re-arrested within five years (Dickson, 2014). According to the U.S. Department of Justice (2009), at least ninety-five percent of state prisoners will be releases from prison and back into the community at some point (Schmidt, 2010). Majority of the prison population is a result of drug offenses and most offenders who make up the recidivism rate are drug users (Ph.D., 1998). Criminals who commit drug and sex related crimes, tend to be the most repeated offenders. With little resources and options, these released offenders will often times find themselves converting back to their old ways? State and local governments spend hundreds of millions of dollars every year on services and programs targeted towards reducing recidivism rates (Center, 2015). Often...
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...numerous ways. Two measuring systems being the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) and Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), report criminal information, but do not reflect it all. Because of the different factors that go into reporting crime some crimes go unreported. Instruments Crime is measured through statistics in the United States. Statistics help develop and see how new laws and programs are working. The three statistical reports used to measure crime in the United States are the (UCR) Uniform Crime Report, (NCVS) National Crime Victimization Survey, and (NIBRS) The National Incident Based Reporting System (Schmalleger, 2011). All of the crime instruments used can only be as accurate as the sources given to them. Programs and Purpose The FBI’s statistical program is the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) program administered by the Department of Justice which measures the impact of the crime, magnitude, and nature of the crime. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), conducted by the Bureau of Justice Statistics. This survey randomly selects individuals that may or may not report the crimes. The survey helps provide unavailable information about the victims, offenders, and the crime (FBI, 2011). The surveys are taken a couple of times every year. The third program is the National Incident Based Reporting System (NIBRS). This system will replace the Uniform Crime Reporting system (UCR) once developed to provide current data. The National Incident...
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...Joycene Harrell CRM-430 Term Paper Week 5 Draft Summary for Prison Rehabilitation and Counseling Programs I chose to focus this term paper on the various programs offered to prisoners as part of their rehabilitation for introduction back into society. In today’s world there are many who believe that every one can be rehabilitated. The question should be asked; “does rehabilitation really work for everyone?” I will provide statistics on the success and failure rate, as well as which programs are most beneficial to prisoners. Whether rehabilitation and counseling works or not, something has to be done to assist prisoners in order for them to lead a normal life upon their release. I will discuss some of the many programs offered by various states ranging from “Pets in Prison” to obtaining college degrees. I will explain the various types of counseling offered to sex offenders, pedophiles and murderers. Those are a few topics I feel should have special interest in the counseling/rehabilitation area. I am sure most would agree that prisoners should receive some type of counseling and rehabilitation, but where do you draw the line on the rehabilitation services offered? Should the money from taxpayers be used to fund certain types of programs, how does the prison system decide who gets to participate in which programs, and how can counselors and judicial boards ensure there will be no regression? Those are just a couple of questions that will be answered...
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...Causes of Recidivism Abstract In recent decades, the United States has undergone a substantial increase in prison population. Across the country, prisons are faced with the problem of severe overpopulation. Although crime rates have dramatically decreased over the years, the rates of incarceration have gone in the opposite direction and continue to increase. One of the major underlying factors for the increase lies within recidivism. Repeat offenders make up a large component of the overall prison population. The purpose of this paper is to present the causes of recidivism and the aspects of an offender’s life that tend to lead to re-incarceration. The term recidivism has been derived from the Latin word recidivus, meaning recurring, as well as the term recido, meaning to fall back. It essentially is used to describe a person who has repeated and undesirable behavior after they have already been treated or trained to stop the behavior, or have already suffered the consequences of that behavior. In the criminal justice field, the term is used to describe released inmates who are rearrested, reconvicted, or re-incarcerated. In the past thirty years, incarceration rates have tripled in the United States, and the national state and federal prison population has surpassed two million inmates (Western 3). The statistics regarding recidivism in the United States are baffling compared to the rest of the world. In fact, according...
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...rates during periods of nonuse (Ball et al. 1983, pp.119-142). A large number of people who abuse drugs come into contact with the criminal justice system when they are sent to jail or to other correctional facilities. The criminal justice system is flooded with substance abusers. The need for expanding drug abuse treatment for this group of people was recognized in the Crime Act of 1994, which for the first time provided substantial resources for federal and state jurisdictions. In this paper, I will argue that using therapeutic communities in prisons will reduce the recidivism rates among people who have been released from prison. I am going to use the general theory of crime, which is based on self-control, to help rationalize using federal tax dollars to fund these therapeutic communities in prisons. I feel that if we teach these prisoners some self-control and alternative lifestyles that we can keep them from reentering the prisons once they get out. I am also going to describe some of today’s programs that have proven to be very effective. Gottfredson and Hirschi developed the general theory of crime. It According to their theory, the criminal act and the criminal offender are separate concepts. The criminal act is perceived as opportunity; illegal activities that people engage in when they perceive them to be advantageous. Crimes are committed when they promise rewards with minimum threat of pain or punishment. Crimes that provide easy, short-term gratification are often...
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