By Christopher Zoukis Image courtesy prainc.com
In the criminal justice community we often hear about recidivism. This is the relapse of former prisoners or probationers back into crime. The reason we focus so much on this topic is because it is a measure of our success. None of us teach prisoners or promote prison reform solely because we find it interesting: we do so because we aim to make a difference in our students and the world around us. And recidivism rates are our measuring stick. The lower the rate, the more successful we have been. The higher the rate, the more work there is that still needs to be done.
Recidivism is a problem. It’s a big problem. The fact is, most prisoners will fail unless they are provided with meaningful educational, vocational, and rehabilitative programming. This isn’t a surprise considering that an internal revision needs to take place in order for a person to change their ways. This is true regardless of whether the person has a damaged character or not. So, we must strive to find ways to implement such meaningful and transformational programming, and we must obtain the funding required to start and sustain such essential programs.
Since we so often cover the benefits of educating America’s incarcerated class, it would be useful to touch upon the other side of the issue today: the negative effects of recidivism upon the various criminal justice stakeholders. This way the discussion here at Prison Education News is that much more rounded and complete.