Introduction
In the traditional world, the prison system served three purposes: deterring repeat crimes, punishing the wrongdoer, and rehabilitating the convict to ensure they no longer engage in crime when released from jail. Thus, prisons in any country in the world, including the US, are the primary tools that the government utilizes to address crime and other violations of the social contract. However, while American prisons are successful in inflicting punishment and are pretty good at deterrents, they have been unable to implement effective rehabilitation measures.
This reality is particularly evident given the high number of former convicts who engage in serious crimes soon after they are released from prison. Thus, there is an urgent need to adopt proactive measures to improve inmate rehabilitation to reintegrate into society once released successfully. Some of the strategies that can be implemented include offering education and skill training, improving substance abuse training, adopting restorative justice, and community-based reentry programs.
While a considerable portion of the population may be inclined to blame recidivism on prisoners, the enlightened few understand that it is the rehabilitation limitations within the prison system that are primarily responsible for repeat offenses. These challenges make it harder for released prisoners to be reintegrated into society and maintain a law-abiding lifestyle. It is not hard to make the connection that locking up damaged people, subjecting them to the harsh prison environment without adequate resources to help them, and then releasing them is a recipe for disaster. Until the recommendations in this essay are fully implemented, the rate of recidivism will predictably remain high as more dangerous criminals will continue to be released, leading to growing insecurity and an increase in crime rates in neighborhoods across the US.
Education and Skills Training
Recidivism is one of the most significant challenges that law enforcement has faced over the years and among the many reasons that the rates of crime continue to skyrocket despite new technologies being employed to ensure public order and safety. According to estimates, four in every prisoner released from prison in the US is likely to commit a crime that will see them rearrested and reincarcerated (Felbab-Brown et al., 2022).
As such, there is an urgent need for the adoption of practical steps to ensure former prisoners do not feel inclined to engage in crime after release from jail. One of the best and most effective ways of ensuring the successful reintegration of inmates into society is by offering them education and skills training. Specifically, teaching inmates vocational skills can assist them in finding work after their release. Finding immediate work after release helps former prisoners provide for themselves, thus eliminating the motivation to engage in further crime.
Substance Abuse Training
The United States has the highest rate of inceration in the World among the developed and developing nations. More than two million people are in jails spread across the country, while more than four million are on probation or parole (Sawyer & Wagner, 2023). In 2022, more than 7.36 million people were arrested, and more than 1.2 million people were arrested for drug-related offenses (Sawyer & Wagner, 2023). In federal prisons, almost half of the inmates are in prison for engaging in drug-related crimes, making it the most significant contributor to the prison population (Sawyer & Wagner, 2023).
Therefore, one can surmise that drug use disorders and their related problems are common among most inmates in prisons in the US. Thus, one of the strategies that the prison system should adopt to promote reintegration is substance abuse training. Unfortunately, despite substance abuse’s significant impact on the prison system, most jails do not have the capacity for substance abuse training and other interventions that could help inmates reintegrate seamlessly after their release.
Instead, poorly designed training is often implemented, which guarantees that an individual will most likely repeat their crimes to fuel their drug problem. To eliminate this deficiency, the prison system should adopt a clear and objective policy on substance abuse training for inmates. To be effective, these programs must run for at least six to twelve months, with a professional psychologist overseeing them (Sondhi et al., 2020). The goal of these programs should be to break off the cycle of drugs and violence by reducing the demand for the use and trafficking of narcotics, which has robbed millions of Americans of their bright future. Additionally, during their release, the prison system should also connect inmates with contacts for professional mental health experts to guide them and prevent relapsing.
The Adoption of Restorative Justice
One of the most unfortunate realities of the current prison system is that it does not encourage taking responsibility for wrongdoing. Instead, it focuses on addressing the harshest punishment for the wrongdoer to deter them and anyone desirous of committing such a crime from contemplating such actions. The widescale adoption of restorative justice can adopt this reality. This form of justice encourages them to take responsibility for what they have done and take steps to make amends to their victims and the community in general (Vooren et al., 2022). These programs are widely recommended as they promote empathy and accountability and are excellent at ensuring inmates successfully reintegrate into the community.
Community-Based Reentry Programs
One of the most complex challenges that prisoners face when they are released is acceptance from the community. This apprehension is usually justified since victims for most convicts are generally people from the same neighborhood and community. To bridge this gap, there is a need for the establishment of community-based re-entry programs. These organizations are critical to the successful reintegration of inmates since they provide mentorship, guidance, and support to former inmates as they transition from prisoners to productive members of society (Krainova et al., 2021). Establishing these organizations should be a joint effort between local government and the community. Its aim should be the successful reentry of inmates into society and a reduced recidivism rate.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the current prison system is inherently designed to exert maximum punishment and deter would-be criminals. This setup neglects the duty of rehabilitation, which is integral to the successful reintegration of inmates into society. Consequently, the rate of recidivism has consistently remained high despite the ever-increasing penalties for repeat offenders. This reality makes it urgent for the prison system to adopt strategies that can prepare inmates for life afterward.
Some of the most effective evidence-based strategies adopted elsewhere to reduce recidivism include providing inmates with education and skills training. Others include training on substance abuse, the widespread adoption of restorative justice, and the implementation of community-based re-entry programs. The measures should be adopted into a coherent strategy aimed at reintegrating inmates into actively productive and law-abiding members of society through rehabilitation.
References
Felbab-Brown, V., Wheeler, R., & Sanchez, G. R. (2022). A better path forward for criminal justice: Training and employment for correctional populations. Brookings. Web.
Krainova, N. A., Khlebushkin, A. G., & Oleynik, D. (2021). Prevention of recidivism: Experience and innovations. SHS Web of Conferences, 108. Web.
Sawyer, W., & Wagner, P. (2023). Mass incarceration: The whole pie 2023. Prison Policy Initiative. Web.
Sondhi, A., Leidi, A., & Best, D. (2020). Estimating a treatment effect on recidivism for correctional multiple component treatment for people in prison with an alcohol use disorder in England. Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy, 15(1). Web.
Vooren, M., Rud, I., Cornelisz, I., Van Klaveren, C., Groot, W., & Maassen van den Brink, H. (2022). The effects of a restorative justice program (HALT) on Educational Outcomes and recidivism of young people. Journal of Experimental Criminology, 19(3), 691–711. Web.