For many decades, the U˳S˳ recidivism rate – the rate at which released prisoners return to prison or get convicted again – has hovered around two-thirds or 70%˳ In other words, our correctional methods don’t rehabilitate very well˳ A wise prison warden in 1912 set forth the requirements of a good prison system, but our society has not listened to his advice˳ Instead, prisoners get worse over time by learning sick prison values, the process of “prisonization˳” The gang culture thrives in prison, sometimes recruiting new members there or simply continuing previous gang membership˳ Our prisoners do not always receive drug rehabilitation or psychiatric counseling and only a minority learns valuable trades or skills or obtains a GED in prison˳ The mentally ill should be in mental institutions, not prisons; 16% of prisoners have significant mental problems˳ Inactivity and boredom take a toll, punctuated by violence and sometimes rape˳ Responsible conduct is not encouraged; we do not trust our prisoners to act responsibly˳ Their conduct in prison is judged by whether they have obeyed prison rules, not whether they are capable of navigating in the outside world˳ Because U˳S˳ laws inhibit and discourage prison industries, relatively few convicts work productively while behind bars˳ In the federal and many state systems, determinate sentences release prisoners on a set date whether they are ready for the free world outside or not˳ After release, ex-cons are denied food stamps, welfare benefits, public housing, student loans and most jobs, and they are perceived as poor marriage, employment, housing and business prospects˳ Prisoners lose contact with family and friends, especially during longer sentences, and invariably find that things have changed while they were gone˳
Recidivism will never disappear˳ There is no certain cure˳ Felons tend to be losers, and only some of them straighten out˳ So, recidivism is not going to hit zero, not in our lifetimes˳ But it can drop significantly with fundamental changes:
First, prisoners should support themselves in prison through industry in anticipation of supporting themselves outside prison, without interference from outside businesses and labor unions˳ By manufacturing goods now made exclusively in foreign countries, the age-old objection to prison industries will be eliminated˳
Second, indeterminate sentences are required, making prisoners earn their release with constructive behavior, not just the passage of time˳ If released prisoners would clearly poison the outside world, they should not be released˳
Third, education should be provided˳ Education in this context should include schooling in trades, job skills, GEDs, drug and alcohol rehabilitation or counseling, and even college degrees for those capable of performing college-level work˳
Fourth, religious culture should be imparted˳ The government cannot get involved in propagating religion, so private religious organizations must play a significant role˳ The foundation of secure workhouses or work communities will facilitate religious activity, because those enterprises can be sponsored, owned or managed by religious organizations˳
These changes are not my idea, but the culmination of 50 years of prison service by Zebulon Brockway, the father of rehabilitative penology˳ He figured it all out a long time ago˳ In the last 100 years, we lost our way˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Recidivism—Its-Causes-and-Cure&id=5452590
