While broad at this point, I will be researching and writing on the important, impactful, and controversial topic of inmate rehabilitation and the factors that influence its effectiveness. The goal of rehabilitation programs are to reduce recidivism by educating inmates and giving them the skills and tools they need to succeed back in society. Some of the problems and facts that support the existence of these issues include, but are not limited to, the following: • Increase in criminal recidivism rates. Lack of specialized programs, tailored to inmate needs. Prison environment. Coerced treatment vs. voluntary. Lack of incentives for inmate participation. Lack of focus on high-risk inmates. Funding/cost-effectiveness of the programs. Failed policies and practices. A recent report provided by the U.S Department of Justice- Bureau of Justice Statistics, “2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-Up Period (2005-2014)”, provides the below results of a study focused on the recidivism patterns of former prisoners across 30 different states and for a period of 9 years. - The 401,288 state prisoners released in 2005 had 1,994,000 arrests during the 9-year period, an average of 5 arrests per released prisoner. Sixty percent of these arrests occurred during years 4 through 9. An estimated 68% of released prisoners were arrested within 3 years, 79% within 6 years, and 83% within 9 years. Eighty-two percent of prisoners arrested during the 9-year period were arrested within the first 3 years. Almost half (47%) of prisoners who did not have an arrest within 3 years of release were arrested during years 4 through 9. Forty-four percent of released prisoners were arrested during the first year following release, while 24% were arrested during year-9. Additionally, - • • • • Property and drug offenders were more likely to be arrested than released violent offenders but violent offenders were more likely to be arrested for a violent crime. Approximately 77% of released drug offenders were arrested for a non-drug crime within nine years and approximately 34% were arrested for a violent crime. Earlier this year, The Department of Justice-Office of Public Affairs, communicated in their press release that David Muhlhausen, director of the National Institute of Justice, was appointed to executive director of the Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry (FIRC) to address this issue. “The FIRC is part of President Trump’s effort to encourage prison reform, reduce recidivism, combat crime, and improve public safety”. Attorney General Jeff Session made it clear stating “Recidivism rates in this country are unacceptably high. That means more costs for society, more dangerous work for our law enforcement officers, and more crime”. The United States Sentencing Commission, or the USSC, found that nearly half of inmates in a random sample released from prisons in 2005 had been rearrested within an eight year time span for committing the same crime as they did before, committing a new crime, or breaking their probation guidelines (Zoukis, 2016). Another reason why rehabilitation has been failing in the United States is because current programs and policies are ineffective and have not been updated. Prison reform has been a popular talking point amongst liberals and libertarians alike, but not much has been done to make any changes in the prison system. Moreover, the program must return to the what, why and how in order to reduce rehabilitation rates. This means that inmates need to be put through programs that help them understand why they are in the prison, what they should do in prison, and how they can get back on their feet after their prison term is up (Wade, 2009). Prisons are rather ineffective at the function they should be prioritizing. Part of this reason is due to the ongoing, 50 year war on drugs, which has focused on convicting and locking up drug addicts rather than putting them through therapy or communal help groups. The war on drugs has been one of the most costly, yet ineffective wars, ever waged on U.S. soil (“Federal,” 2015). The stakeholders who are affected by and or care about these issues, cover a large majority of indivudials involved in groups and organizations at the local, state and national level including: • • • • • • • Communities and the general population. Business owners. Government officials. Law enforcement. Courthouses. Prisons and jails. Specialized treatment facilities. In conducting my analysis, I would use a five-step approach, similar to the policy methodology taught by Clemons and McBeth (2017, pp. 169-179). 1. Verify and define the problem and its causes. • Determine potential problems to accurately assist in creating policy choices and policy implementation. 2. Establish criteria to evaluate alternatives. I would utilize the universal criteria that Patton and Sawicki (1986, pp. 156-167) suggest to consider that include the following: • Technical feasibility • Economic feasibility and cost effectiveness • Political viability • Legality and ethics 3. Generate policy alternatives. This can be done through several different ways according to Weiner and Vining (1999, pp. 197-198, 278-282) and Patton and Sawicki (1986, pp. 181-192). • Brainstorming. • The use of expert opinion. • Best practices search. • The use of primary research. 4. Evaluate and select policies. This can be achieved by conducting and evaluating different criteria including: • Cost-benefit analysis. • Quantitative evaluations. • Political analysis. • Stakeholder analysis. 5. Evaluate and monitor the implemented policy. • Conducting policy evaluations and experiments. • Making policy adjustment, if needed. • Termination of a policy. Several types of information will need to be obtained and reviewed including: • • • • • • • • Statistical data and other quantitative studies on the trends and patterns of recidivism and the reasons why. Information regarding inmate participation in programs while in prison. Information on current policies. Information on the current programs offered. Data representing the different reasons for inmate incarceration. Prison management and evaluations. Stakeholder feedback. Information on the economic effects. References: Alper, M., Durose, M., Markman, J. (2018, May 23). 2018 Update On Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year FollowUp Period (2005-2014) Retrieved from http://www.bjs.gov/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&iid=6266 Attorney General Sessions Names David Muhlhausen Executive Director of Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry. (2018, April6). Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/attorney-general-sessions-names-david-muhlhausen-executive-director-federalinteragency Zoukis, C. (2017, December 07). Report Documents U.S. Recidivism Rates for Federal Prisoners. Retrieved 2018, from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-zoukis/report-documents-us-recid_b_9542312.html Wade, D. T. (2009). Goal setting in rehabilitation: an overview of what, why and how Federal Drug Sentencing Laws Bring High Cost, Low Return. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/issue-briefs/2015/08/federal-drug-sentencing-laws-bringhigh-cost-low-return
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