Recidivism

Though crime has statistically dropped the increasing prison population and recidivism rates cause many to question whether the prison has become obsolete. In many ways, it has. The prison has become quite costly, has seemed to fail its purpose of rehabilitating offenders, and has an over-represented Indigenous population. However, through improving programs, looking into alternative options to prison such as restorative justice and community-based corrections, and re-examining sentencing…

encountered prior to being incarcerated. The services provided under PRWORA were determined to potentially be a good resource for individuals being released from prison to be able to transition back into the community with a decreased chance of recidivism. The services would allow for previously incarcerated individuals to obtain housing in…

According to section 718.1 of the Criminal Code, Sentencing in Canada “must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender”. Despite that being said, the system tends to leave the final decision to the judge. In 2015, the population of adult offenders showed a decline in the overall adult population at 461 offenders per 100,000 adults (Reitano, 2016) and drug related offences decreased by 15% between 2014 and 2015 (Allen, 2016). Looking at the…

rehabilitation for the prisoners; however, it does not actually focus on helping the prisoners. The social stigma of having the label of a prisoner is detrimental to the chance of success after they are released. Therefore, prisoner incarceration and recidivism rates in the United States are among the highest in the world. In the article "When Prisoners Are Patients," Theresa Brown elaborates on personal stories involving inmates in the prison healthcare system in her work as a nurse. Towards…

suffer from some form of mental health issues, while also being susceptible to contracting infectious diseases. America’s prison system is in desperate need of reform which can best be accomplished by shifting focus to rehabilitation and reducing recidivism. One of the issues Gopnik highlights in “The Caging of America” is the inhumane and unconstitutional nature of the judicial systems in America. “America is famous... for its process-driven judicial ‘The bastard got off on a technicality’”…

a myriad of the incarcerated are put into solitary confinement, resulting in irreversible mental and physical trauma. Solitary confinement increases and intensifies both the prevalence of mental and physical illness in prisoners as well as the recidivism rates of prisoners subject…

When someone commits a crime there are few choices in the way their punishment will go. Most commonly they will either get the charges dropped, get probation, or get sentenced to jail time. If they are sentenced to jail time often times they will be allowed the chance for parole in the future. Just because the offender is only given probation or is released on parole, that does not mean they are free to do as they choose. There are sanctions placed on both probationers and parolees, and they…

basic, psychological, and self-fulfillment needs. Halden has managed to combine Goffman 's theory of Total Institution and Maslow 's Hierarchy of needs, and early statistics show the success. The US has an inmate recidivism rate of 76.6% within 5 years. Norway has an astonishing recidivism rate of 20% (Sterbenz. 2014). So why the staggering difference? Halden focuses on the psychological well-being of its inmates. Each inmate is required to attend educational classes, exercise, cook, and…

Proposition 47 is a ballot initiative which was passed by voters in the state of California on November 4, 2014. The Proposition will reduce certain drug possession felonies to misdemeanors but will not allow any offender to be instantly released. An offender must petition the court for resentencing by November 4, 2017, however not all offenders are eligible. The official website for the State of California details that those who “have previous convictions for sex offences including rape, child…

Nevertheless, his story is just one example of how recidivism is apparent in a system that sweeps its’ problems under the rug instead of properly treating the situation. The Game deserved help and alternatives (mentorship program), the family deserved treatment (counseling), but incarceration was the easy…