Recidivism in America
Kayleigh E. Flynn
Blueridge Community and Technical College
Recidivism is not a taboo subject, nor is it a new one. It is basically one 's relapse into criminal behavior leaving them in a cycle of repeatedly committing crimes or violating probation/ parole and landing themselves back in some sort of institution or facility. There are many theories as to why this problem is so large in America as opposed to other countries. These theories can include anything from the blame of the justice system, the blame of the way the criminal involved was raised and schooled or the contribution of factors from either side. The statistic evidence paired with each different theory can give justifiable reasoning as to what …show more content…
There are many theories as to what leads to this outcome. Most chalk it up to a faulty prison system, however, some believe that it begins long before incarceration. No matter what the direct cause may be, there is a cause and there is a solution. The justice system just has to find it.
The Facts:
America has the highest recidivism rate in the world. It seems as though many western nations have higher rates than those in the eastern world. This does not necessarily have to do with the higher crime rates or higher victimization rates but more so to do with the policies that we have in place within our justice system, which can not seem to evolve. The rate of recidivism in America is outrageous when looking at the numbers. The national institute of justice did a study in 2005 that led to the following results. Two-thirds of those arrested were rearrested within the span of three years, while over the next five the numbers climb to three quarters, well over half being arrested before the one year mark of their release. Because officials are unable to chart all crime, recidivism rates can be difficult to track. These rates are studied in a specific fashion. The nature of the crime, the time between release and rearrest and interviewing those incarcerated all come into play when studying these rates. These statistics also have a lot to do with risk level that the recently released is or …show more content…
The most popular placing blame on the justice and prison systems not affording criminals who are incarcerated or that have been recently released decent programs to reintegrate themselves into society. To a degree the information is very plausible due to the evidence shown by other countries. Many countries like Norway and Finland have programs in their jails and prisons that allow inmates to learn skills that will help them with societal reintegration that they may have otherwise not had access to. This includes basic cooking, a small commissary shop that is designed to work like an actual store, job interview skills, trade school or vocational classes, hobbies, extra curricular activities and destressing outlets. Systems like these also promote communal living and independence. Inmates are often free to cook, clean, watch television, go outside and do their own laundry and dishes. This promotes that idea of reintegration and allows inmates to learn to trust one another and make relationships over the bonding rehabilitative experiences they are subjected to that we would simply consider every day
Kayleigh E. Flynn
Blueridge Community and Technical College
Recidivism is not a taboo subject, nor is it a new one. It is basically one 's relapse into criminal behavior leaving them in a cycle of repeatedly committing crimes or violating probation/ parole and landing themselves back in some sort of institution or facility. There are many theories as to why this problem is so large in America as opposed to other countries. These theories can include anything from the blame of the justice system, the blame of the way the criminal involved was raised and schooled or the contribution of factors from either side. The statistic evidence paired with each different theory can give justifiable reasoning as to what …show more content…
There are many theories as to what leads to this outcome. Most chalk it up to a faulty prison system, however, some believe that it begins long before incarceration. No matter what the direct cause may be, there is a cause and there is a solution. The justice system just has to find it.
The Facts:
America has the highest recidivism rate in the world. It seems as though many western nations have higher rates than those in the eastern world. This does not necessarily have to do with the higher crime rates or higher victimization rates but more so to do with the policies that we have in place within our justice system, which can not seem to evolve. The rate of recidivism in America is outrageous when looking at the numbers. The national institute of justice did a study in 2005 that led to the following results. Two-thirds of those arrested were rearrested within the span of three years, while over the next five the numbers climb to three quarters, well over half being arrested before the one year mark of their release. Because officials are unable to chart all crime, recidivism rates can be difficult to track. These rates are studied in a specific fashion. The nature of the crime, the time between release and rearrest and interviewing those incarcerated all come into play when studying these rates. These statistics also have a lot to do with risk level that the recently released is or …show more content…
The most popular placing blame on the justice and prison systems not affording criminals who are incarcerated or that have been recently released decent programs to reintegrate themselves into society. To a degree the information is very plausible due to the evidence shown by other countries. Many countries like Norway and Finland have programs in their jails and prisons that allow inmates to learn skills that will help them with societal reintegration that they may have otherwise not had access to. This includes basic cooking, a small commissary shop that is designed to work like an actual store, job interview skills, trade school or vocational classes, hobbies, extra curricular activities and destressing outlets. Systems like these also promote communal living and independence. Inmates are often free to cook, clean, watch television, go outside and do their own laundry and dishes. This promotes that idea of reintegration and allows inmates to learn to trust one another and make relationships over the bonding rehabilitative experiences they are subjected to that we would simply consider every day