Requesting Peer Review
Jennifer Land
Instructor Ryan Jones
English 102
11-2-2013
Reduce Recidivism: Invest in Life Changes
Community re-entry programs for ex-offenders are vital and necessary to not only reduce the recidivism rate but to also teach the ex-offender how to become a productive, contributing member of society. Thousands of ex-offenders are released back into our communities, every day. The rate of recidivism in the United States is estimated to be about two-thirds, which means that two-thirds of released inmates will be re-incarcerated within three years. Recidivate means to return to a previous pattern of behavior, especially to return to criminal habits. The recidivism rate increases when an ex-offender commits another crime and re-enters the criminal justice system and returns back to prison. Studies show that if an offender is not rehabilitated or educated, they are highly likely to be re-incarcerated or recidivate.
Giving ex-offenders an alternative to criminal activity or teaching someone the basic skills necessary to be a productive member of society, can mean the difference between prison and freedom. "Upon release, ex-prisoners today have had longer incarceration periods, possess low levels of education or job skills, and often have significant physical and mental health problems and/or drug addiction." (1) In many cases, addressing addictions and educating offenders would actually cost less and be much more beneficial than incarcerating offenders.
"Drug and alcohol addiction must be broken; discipline and job skills must be learned. When that can be done better, outside of expensive prison walls that is what we should do. Results matter, public safety matters, taxpayer dollars matter, saving lives and restoring families matter." (2) According to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University, of the 2.3 million inmates crowding our nation's prisons and jails, 1.5 million meet the DSM IV medical criteria for substance abuse or addiction. Another 458,000, while not meeting the strict DSM IV criteria, had histories of substance abuse; were under the influence of alcohol or other drugs at the time of their crime; committed their offense to get money to buy drugs; were incarcerated for an alcohol or drug law violation; or shared some combination of these characteristics.
"Without education or rehabilitation, an offender's re-entry into society is largely unsuccessful." (3) Fortunately, there are programs available that can help ex-offenders make the transition back into our communities. The specialized re-entry programs that are dedicated to helping an ex-offender re-enter our communities are vital. The three things that most ex-offenders have in common is a lack of family support or mentorship, limited education and no idea of where or how to start over. It is also important that we do everything we can to ensure that when these people get out of prison, they enter our communities as productive members of society, so we can start to reverse the dangerous cycles of recidivism and violence. Re-entry programs such as Construction Career Training Program, a faith-based non-profit organization, have proven to be very successful with the education and rehabilitation of ex-offenders. Many ex-offenders do not possess basic life skills, so educating ex-offenders on basic life skills is the starting point of an ex-offenders new foundation.
Another area that must be focused on is workforce readiness skills. Workforce readiness skills consist of interviewing tips and techniques, resume writing and teaching an ex-offender how to become employable. The workforce readiness skills are an instrumental piece of becoming employed. Finding employers willing to hire an ex-offender or even give an ex-offender the opportunity to prove that they are competent and trustworthy, is very hard. Many companies now run criminal background checks and will not consider employing anyone that does not pass. "Of the 77 ex-offenders that Construction Career Training Program has served, only 1 person has recidivated. This means that 76 ex-offenders have been educated, rehabilitated and mentored, and are now employed within the construction industry," stated Shawn Pearson, Executive Director of Construction Career Training Program.
Challenges many ex-offenders face upon re-entering the community can determine whether they will or will recidivate. Challenges or barriers an ex-offender must go through are everything from family re-unification, housing, employment, finances as well as the emotional stress of trying to rebuild or start over. "Finding an organization that specializes in community re-entry is the key for an ex-offender's success," stated Shawn Pearson. Most community re-entry programs have mentors, sponsors, educational opportunities, counseling and workforce readiness programs and community resources that can assist the ex-offender during the transition back in our communities.
There are many additional resources that are available within our communities range from food boxes, discounted bus passes, personal hygiene and clothing closets, as well as family and addictions counseling. These resources are available within our communities, to assist ex-offenders and their families during this time of transition. An ex-offender is released from a state prison facility with a $50.00 check and the donated clothes on their back. For an ex-offender who literally does not own anything and does not have family support, they will end up in a homeless shelter or sleeping in a park. Some ex-offenders are restricted from shelters based on the severity of their offense. This makes the transition back into the community even harder and the final outcome is usually to recidivate.
Families, communities and tax payers are suffering due to the economic impact of the recidivism rate. Who is really being punished for the crimes that have and are being committed, the offender or society? "Over time, the impact of reducing recidivism is substantial when considering the average cost of housing an inmate is $60.73* per day. With a median sentence of 2.5 years, the average cost savings could be as much as $55,428 per inmate." (4) On one hand, many lives are being ruined in a vicious and expensive cycle of crime and punishment, and on the other, taxpayers' money is being used to finance it - a losing scenario for the prisoners, government, and society. If that same $55,428 was used to invest in programs like Construction Career Training Program, there would be a direct increase in the number of ex-offenders that could be served.
The negative impact on the familial bond can lead to a continuous cycle of destruction, poverty and incarceration. Re-establishing family bonds is imperative for ex-offenders. Upon release, the incarcerated parent or parents are encouraged to obtain family counseling or mentors that will help the absent parent or parents re-adjust to their parenting role. Ending the cycle of incarceration in a family system will only be successful when the families work together to become a healthy, supportive family unit. Ex-offenders parents, struggle with feelings of guilt and despair while children of offenders often deal with feelings of abandonment and often act out or get into trouble, themselves. The cycle of destruction must be stopped and worked through so healthy healing can begin, and family bonds can be strengthened.
"My father and my uncles have been in and out of prison, all of my life. All of my cousins and neighbors have been in or are still in prison; it was all I really knew. My mom worked three jobs to provide for us. I was basically raised in the streets of South Phoenix. By the age of 10, I was smoking marijuana and drinking alcohol. At the age of 16, I was arrested as an Accessory to Commit Armed Robbery and charged as an adult. I was incarcerated until I was 20 years old. Now, I'm 21 years old learning how to be a responsible, tax-paying, productive, contributing member of my community. Without the education and resources I received from a community re-entry program, I would probably be back in prison," said ex-offender, Tremaine Mack.
Would you hire an ex-offender? This field research question was asked to three members of my community, and their responses were quite surprising. Frank and Rosalia Esparza, a Hispanic couple in their thirties, own a small machining business in Phoenix. "As an employer, it is my duty to make sure my wife and kids, employees and customers are safe, therefore I would not hire an ex-offender," said Frank. Frank has made the assumption that all ex-offenders are violent or is prone to violence and has chosen not to hire an ex-offender. "If someone comes into my shop and looks like they've been in the pen (penitentiary), I tell them we aren't hiring," confessed Frank. Frank's response implies that ex-offenders "look" like they have been in prison.
Donna Buchanan, a 41 year old Caucasian, business professional and mother of an infant, was asked if she would hire an ex-offender. "I have a cousin who is in currently in prison for a crime he didn't commit, so yes I would hire an ex-offender. People deserve second chances and sometimes people get caught up in bad situations. Who am I to judge anyone? I know the struggles my cousin goes through while he is incarcerated. It's disgusting! He's treated like an animal, in there."
Anthony White is a 56 year old, African American that serves in the US Marine Corp. Anthony responded to the poll question with, "I would consider hiring an ex-offender but it would depend on the offense they committed. I have been all over the world and seen way more crime than I wanted to. I just cannot stomach child predators, rapists or sex offenders. People who commit those crimes are sick and do not deserve to be out of prison. My sister's innocence was taken from her, at the age of 6. She struggled with that all of her life, until she committed suicide at the age of 38. The man that raped my sister raped eight others. I hope he rots in prison."
From the survey question responses, I concluded that each individual had specific reasons as to why they would or would not hire an ex-offender. Ex-offenders do not have a "look", they are not always "bad people". In some cases, incarceration is the result of bad decision making and other cases tragic accidents that result in bodily harm or the loss of lives. In cases of a sexual offense, it is hard to forgive and even harder to explain. Addictions of any kind, even those of the sexual nature require treatment by a certified addiction counselor.
"More than half of the women in state prisons and jails say they were physically or sexually abused as children, twice the rate of child abuse reported by women overall, the Justice Department said today. The figure for male inmates, who say they suffered child abuse, while far smaller, is also about 58 percent of the overall male population, according to a study by the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics. More than 67 percent of female inmates surveyed reported that they had been abused sexually or physically at age 17 or younger, the bureau reported." (5) While these figures are startling, it is also an indication of the trauma and pain that must be addressed, in order for ex-offenders to heal, recover, change and ultimately reduce the recidivism rate.
There are many ways that members of our communities can help reduce the recidivism rate. People within the communities, of all races and ages can contribute to an ex-offender's success by becoming a mentor. Mentors are people who advise and teach another person, usually young than us. An ex-offender can benefit from a mentor because they can provide guidance and emotional support. Our life experiences, give each and every one of us the knowledge to help someone else. Being a mentor is very satisfying because it feels good to help others, even if it is only for one hour per week.
There are many people who are ex-offenders that live and work in our neighborhoods and communities. Being an ex-offender is often associated with negative stigmas, so one can truly never know who is an ex-offender, unless that person feels comfortable enough to share their past. Life changes do not take place overnight but change most definitely begins within our hearts. For those who feel that every ex-offender is unworthy or incapable of success, you couldn't be more wrong. Every person is capable and worthy of success because everyone's idea of success is not the same.
Education is important at any age and it is never too late to start over. An ex-offender will carry the label of "ex-offender" for the rest of their lives but they are still able to be successful contributors within society and their communities. Working with a diverse population such as ex-offenders, is very rewarding spiritually and emotionally. I have worked in community re-entry since 2009, after I myself, had to learn to re-enter my community. I am able to relate to ex-offenders because I am also an ex-offender. I would never intentionally hurt anyone but my brief lapse in judgment cost me everything. My felony conviction was the result of using poor judgment; not because I am a bad person. I am lucky that my poor judgment did not take the life of another. My way to give back to society and my community is to help others re-entering our communities because I know exactly the struggle they are and going through. My hope is that I am able to help others through my words and actions.
Community awareness of the issues ex-offenders experience, as well as the financial strain tax payers endure, can lead to lowering the recidivism rate and strengthening families and communities. To clarify, this is not an attempt to make excuses for ex-offenders or the crimes they have committed but to build awareness of the barriers that ex-offenders encounter after their incarceration. In reality, an ex-offenders debt to society seems to continually impact their lives and those of their families, even after they have served their prison sentence.
References
1. Cnaan, Ram A., et al. "Ex-prisoners' re-entry: An emerging frontier and a social work challenge." Journal of Policy Practice 7.2-3 (2008): 178-198.
2. Rapone, John C. "THINKING OUTSIDE OF THE BOX: WHY PRISONS ARE ONLY PART OF THE SOLUTION." Suffolk J. Trial & App. Adv. 18 (2013): 128-177.
3. Gordon, Howard RD, and Bracie Weldon. "The impact of career and technical education programs on adult offenders: Learning behind bars." Journal of Correctional Education (2003): 200-209.
4. "Recidivism" Arizona Correctional Industries, 2013,
5. Coid, Jeremy, et al. "Relation between childhood sexual and physical abuse and risk of revictimisation in women: a cross-sectional survey." The Lancet 358.9280 (2001): 450-454.
