Recidivism in America
Abstract
Like most countries, the United States is troubled with the issue of crime and has sought out various ways of eradicating the menace that is crime. However, unlike most countries, ex offenders in the America tend to go back to crime and get re-arrested even after serving long prison terms. While prisons are intended to act as deterrents to crime, they systems seem not to be working as ex offenders have no problem engaging in crime soon after they have been released. As a result, the United States tends to have a higher recidivism rate despite is strict policies against crime. Since most countries send criminals to prison for crimes committed, the difference in the recidivism rate amongst these countries could be as a result of the approach that different countries take when dealing with inmates. Countries that focus more on rehabilitation than punishment have been known to have lower recidivism rates. If the United States is to reduce its recidivism rate, it needs to adopt some of the policies used by such countries and focus more on rehabilitating inmates so as to discourage them from going back to a life of crime after they are released.
Introduction
Over 10 million people are locked up in prison institutions around the world serving their punishment for respective crimes committed. Out of this number, The United States accounts for 25% of the population despite contributing to only 5% f the human population (Deady 2015 p. 1). Most of the times, prisons are intended not only to hold prisoners but also discouraging them from actions that may lead them back to prison. The goal is often to rehabilitate prisoners such that they are equipped with the skills needed to survive in society without having to engage in crime. However, despite crime having dropped, the recidivism rate remains high in the United States compared to other countries (Deady 2015). Often times, prisoners released from jail often end up going back for same crimes or different ones. While there could be various factors causing recidivism in the United States, the goal is to analyze why recidivism is more in the America than when compared to other countries.
A review of research suggests that there is variety of factors that might contribute to recidivism. Some of these factors include educational deficiencies, lack of job skills, a criminal history, poor or inadequate housing accommodations, diminished employment opportunities, and deteriorating neighborhoods that might significantly contribute to a relatively high recidivism rate among ex-offenders (Lockwood &Nally 2016). These factors will be studied in greater detail in this paper as the author attempts to better understand what leads U.S parolees to more often than not end up back in prison. This paper will compare the prison systems of America to those of other countries; countries who are much more successful in rehabilitating a significant number of their prisoners. Finally, this paper will make policy recommendations regarding ways the recidivism rates could be reduces in the United States.
Literature review
According to Deady (2014), one in every American citizen who is an adult has been in prison. Although crime has gone down in the United States, the number of prisoners going back to jail after being released is higher in the United States than it is in other countries. Even with the decrease in the levels of crime in the country, the United States has had a higher number of prisoners when compared to other countries. This is mainly because crime is dealt seriously in the country and prisoners get longer terms than they do in other countries (Deady, 2014). The policy used is to ensure that the sentence is equal to the crime committed as a means of delivering justice. While this may be a good way of punishing criminals, it does little to rehabilitate them (Deady, 2014).
Ho et al (2014) argues that the high rate of recidivism in the United States is as a result of the harsh environment that criminals meet after leaving prison. Most criminals lack the skills and knowledge required to get a good job and this may be the reason as to why they engaged in crime in the first place. While imprisonment does punish the criminals, it does little to help them survive in the outside world after they are released from prison. The lack of skills and education makes it difficult to financially support their livelihood through legal means and this often leads them to a life of crime. Other factors such as recession make it even more difficult for prisoners to find work after they are released. Other than the decline in the number of jobs available, a criminal background makes it even more challenging for ex offenders to find employment as most people are unwilling to employ a person who has been to prison regardless of the crime committed (Ho et al, 2014). Since employers have access to a potential employee’s background, criminals like sex offenders have a hard time getting employed as people are unwilling to hire them with the claim that they want to guarantee their customers and their children’s safety. Criminals who have been released from prisoners find it difficult to compete with people without prison records not to mention the lack of skills and knowledge needed to get a good job. One way of reducing recidivism is by ensuring that criminals who get released from prison get employment as this will provide with the means to support their livelihood. Failure to get employment makes it difficult to survive in society and ex offenders often result to engaging in crime since the legal means of earning a living do not work for them. If America is to reduce the rate of recidivism in the country, it must come up with a way of helping ex offenders so as to discourage them from going back to crime in an attempt to support their livelihood (Ho et al, 2014).
According to Gamo (2013), prisons are intended to punish criminals for crimes committed and also as deterrents to crime. While this may be true, countries like Philippine have discovered that placing too much emphasis on punishment that on rehabilitation and deterrence greatly contributes to the rate of recidivism in a country. As a result, the Philippines is now placing more emphasis on rehabilitating criminals as a deterrent to crime rather than using the prison system as a tool for punishment. After its long history in punishing criminals, the justice system has seen great change to the extent that the death sentence has been abolished to pave way for more ideal methods that will rehabilitate prisoners as they pay for the crime they committed (Gamo, 2013). The traditional method of using prisons as a way of punishing criminals is now considered as counterproductive especially due to the high rate of recidivism that existed. The traditional methods used in the prison systems are being replaced by newer methods that are focused on rehabilitating the prisoner as well as equipping them with the skills and competence that they will need to survive in the outside world after they are released from prison. While prisoners still serve prison sentences for crimes committed, they also learn skills needed to survive in the outside world so as to discourage them from engaging in crime.
According to Buikhuisen and Hoekstra (1974), recidivism is a problem that has existed in society for a number of years. Studies to explain why some people are likely to engage in crime while others do not and how some people go back to crimes even after being arrested were being conducted even as far back as 1917. However, despite the issue of recidivism being conducted for a long time, most researchers have only relied on criminal records, social enquiries and other forms of existing reports on the offenders. Few researches have used information collected directly from the ex offenders and this raises questions regarding the validity and the reliability of the conclusions drawn from such information. In order to better understand recidivism and come up with a suitable solution, Buikhuisen and Hoekstra (1974) argue that there is a need to collect information from the ex offenders so as to better understand of their delinquency problem and come up with ways to resolve it. Rather than relying on crime records as a source of information to understand the problem, researchers must adopt a system that studies the ex offender’s tendency to go back to crime as a process so as to understand the factors that encourage their relapse into a life of crime. Researchers need to not only focus on the tendency of criminals to go back to a life of crime after prison but also factors in their life that make it difficult to live an honest life (Buikhuisen & Hoekstra, 1974). Research must consider the impact that the ex offenders family, their social environment and the stigmatization around an ex offender makes it difficult to survive in society without going back to crime. This will go a long way into identifying the factors that promote recidivism and how to work around them so as to ensure that ex offenders do not go back to a life of crime.
Behan (2007) argues that America’s tendency to focus on punishing criminals and being stough on crime has greatly contributed to the high rate of recidivism in the country. following the European trend of taking a tough actions against crime, the political rhetoric in the United States has led people into believing that a firm hand is required in order to have a significant impact on the fight against crime. While this may be the case, most political agendas focus on punishing criminals and this has led to the public calling for the justice system to imprison criminals so that they can pay for their crime rather than considering what rehabilitation may have in reducing the crime rate (Behan, 2007). This has led to the adoption of policies that recommend the construction of more prisons so as more criminals can be locked up and use stricter rules as a way of discouraging people from engaging in crime. People are keener on hearing success stories especially when it comes to reducing crime in the country. Instead of looking for better solutions, American policy makers are headstrong in the belief that imprisonment is the best approach to take in the fight against crime. However, the high rate of recidivism in the United States compared to other countries proves that imprisonment is not a valid solution. If it were, ex offenders would come out of prison with little, if any intent to engage in crime after their release (Behan, 2007). However, since prisoners have the tendency of going back to a life of crime after their release, it proves that imprisonment as a form of punishment does little to deter crime. It is therefore important to consider other avenues that deter crime and also reduce the rate of recidivism in the country.
According to Vigesaa (2013), an individual’s tendency to engage in crime is greatly determined by the experiences that the person has been through especially during childhood. People who were abused as children are more likely to engage in criminal activity not only when they are young but also as mature adults. The likelihood of women to engage in criminal activities is greatly increased if a woman experienced child abuse when young and this is seen by the high number of criminals in the justice system having been victims of child abuse. Children who experienced some form of abuse during are also likely to develop alcohol dependence later on in their lives (Vigesaa, 2013). Other than alcohol, most people who were subjected to child abuse tend to use various drugs as a way of helping them cope with the trauma caused by the things they experienced.
According to the general strain theory, people who experience something that they do not like or that makes them feel uncomfortable causes a strain which leads the individual seeking out different avenues to relieve the effects of the strain. Such strains may be caused by the relationship an individual has with other people or certain conditions in their daily lives that causes discomfort (Vigesaa, 2013). The strain may lead the individual into developing negative emotional states, frustration and anger and this may cause the individual to engage in crime. While the justice system may punish an individual for the crime committed, it is ill equipped in helping individuals with such problems. As a result, prisoners get released with the same mentality and perception they had towards life they had before going into prison. While they ex offenders may try to avoid going back to prison, a strain in their life may trigger an emotion that leads them to crime and thus contributing to the recidivism rate in the country (Vigesaa, 2013).
Baumer et al (2002) suggests that the best way to reduce recidivism is by using policies that shame the offence that an individual commits without causing permanent trauma to the individual before reintegrating him back to society. Such policies view recidivism both as an individual and a programmatic failure which takes place when the prisoner is unwilling to reform or the method used to encourage reformation have been ineffective. Furthermore, recidivism can also be seen as society’s failure to rehabilitate prisoners and help them see the error of their ways. Instead of just focusing on punishing criminals through prison sentences for crimes committed, the legal system must try to solve the problem at a personal level. This can be achieved by showing the criminals the error of their ways and shaming the criminal activity in such a way that the criminal will not be willing to repeat the crime after leaving prison. Instead of treating crime as a collective problem, the prison system must treat each prisoner as a different case and show them why what they did was wrong and why they should avoid not repeating it.
According to Jung, Spjeldnes and Yamatani (2010) the United States spent 49 billion dollars for corrections out of which 20 billion dollars were spent on jails and the criminal justice system. The funds were spent to facilitate the high number of people held in prisons for various crimes. The United States corrections system is made up of; correctional facilities which are responsible for holding criminals convicted of minor crimes and spend a minimum of one year; jails which are generally bigger and hold prisoners convicted of more serious crimes and stay for longer periods; and prisons which hold more violent criminals from different parts of the country who are convicted for serious criminal offences and serve long sentences including life imprisonment. Often times, criminals go through various corrections facilities before they are finally convicted for life imprisonment and this contributes to the high recidivism rate in the country (Jung, Spjeldnes and Yamatani, 2010).
In a study to test the rate at which prisoners go back to a life of crime after being released from prison, a group of released inmates was studied to see how many would be arrested for crimes similar to the ones they had committed or for different crimes. Out of the inmates released after serving their sentences, two thirds were arrested in the course of three years after their release majority of which were arrested in the first year out of prison. After one year from prison, 44.1 percent of the prisoners were rearrested, 59 percent were arrested in the second year and 67.5 percent in the third year for committing both new crimes and the same ones that some had previously been arrested for (Jung, Spjeldnes & Yamatani, 2010).
According to Skardhamar and Telle (2012), the tendency of ex offenders to go back to prison is greatly influenced by the type of life they find after being released from prison. In order to live a life free of crime, ex offenders must create a meaningful routine of activities to engage in and find a legal source of income to sustain their livelihood so as to avoid going back to crime. Criminals must therefore develop a new sense of identity, reevaluate the choices they make and enhance their self control so as to make legal decisions. Employment is considered to be the best solution to reducing recidivism as ex offenders who find work after being released from prison are less likely to go engage in criminal activities. As a result, countries like Norway ensure that prisoners leave the justice system with the skills and knowledge to get a good job that will help the ex offender to earn a living and deter them from crime. However, the same cannot be said of the United States as most focus is on punishing criminals rather than rehabilitating them and preparing inmates of a life outside prison.
Vacca (2004) has it that prisoners that go through educational programs while in prison are less likely to go back after they have been released. In countries that prisoners get appropriate education while incarcerated, the recidivism rate is relatively low. Furthermore, prisons that offer educational programs to their inmates are also less violent and have inmates who have a positive attitude towards a life out of prison. Some of the programs that have been to be effective in rehabilitating prisoners are those that help them to develop their artistic side, improve their social skills and equip them with techniques that they can use to cope with their emotions. Since prisoners who take up these programs are hopeful for a better life outside the prison system, there is a high likelihood that such inmates will be less likely to go back to crime as they have the desire to become better members of society. However, the success of such programs is greatly hindered by overcrowded prisons and lack of funds to support the requirements of the programs. Governments must therefore focus more on supporting these programs to ensure that the inmates who are already incarcerated to not end up in prison again.
According to Ferguson and Marbley (2005), the prison system in the United States house more than 2 million prisoners making America the leading country in term of incarcerations. While the prison system is intended to deter crime and rehabilitate criminals as they serve justice for the crimes committed, the country also has a high recidivism rate compared to other countries. Out of the prisoners released from prison, 29.9 percent are arrested again after just 6 months and by the third year, 67.5 percent of inmates released have already been arrested and sent back to prison (Ferguson & Marbley, 2005). This proves that arresting all criminals and sending them to prison is not the most ideal deterrent of crime and new avenues must be pursued is the recidivism rate in the United States is to be reduced.
Dirkzwager (2017) argues that the duration that inmates spend in prison has little, if any, impact in reducing recidivism. Often times, prisoners are given long prison sentences in the hope that the time they spend there will help them to see the error of their ways. They are also considered to be crime deterrents as people do not want to spend years of their time in prison. While this may be true, long prison sentences rarely reduce recidivism. Often times, long prison times cut the social ties that the inmates had established with the community. Since prison has different laws and social interactions, long sentences forces people to adapt to the prison life. The consequences of this are seen when inmates are released from prison and are unable to cope with society since they were used to the prison systems. The inability to adjust often leads ex offenders into engaging in crime and this leads them back to prison (Dirkzwager, 2017).
Discussion and recommendation
In the United States, the justice system places a lot of emphasis on ensuring that criminals pay for the crime that they have committed. When making rulings, criminals are either required to pay fines or serve prison sentences that are equal or justify the nature of the crime that they committed. Since imprisonment is the most common form of punishment, a lot of effort has been put into ensuring that the prison system is well equipped to ensure handle the various criminals sent there for various offences (Ferguson & Marbley, 2005). Furthermore, the United States tends to be very strict on crime and a lot of effort has been put to make America a safe environment for all of its citizen and example of which is the continuing war on drugs aimed at eradicating drug abuse and criminal activities associated with the drug trade. While a lot of effort has been put into eradicating crime and serving justices, the same cannot be said of the legal system’s approach towards rehabilitating criminals as a means of deterring crime in the country (Dirkzwager, 2017).
Unlike other countries, the United States considers sending criminals as an ideal deterrence to crime. The idea is that sending criminals to prison as punishment for crimes committed will discourage others from engaging in such criminal activities thus reduce the crime rate in the country. There is also the belief that criminals will be less likely to engage in crime after being released from prison out of fear of going back (Baumer et al, 2002). While this may be true to some extent, the simple act of sending criminals to prison is not enough to deter crime and reduce the crime rate in the country and this can be seen by the high rate of recidivism that the United States has compared to other countries. While sending criminals to prison is an ideal form of punishment, the United States misses out on the opportunity that other countries have relied on to reduce their recidivism rate. Rather than just sending criminals to serve their sentences, other countries like Norway take this as an opportunity to rehabilitate the criminals and help them to live a crime free life upon release. Although they serve out their sentences for crimes committed, criminals are assisted while in prison where they are taught important skills that will help them to survive in society after they are released without having to go back to a life of crime (Behan, 2007).
In order to reduce the rate of recidivism in the country, the United States must place more emphasis into rehabilitating prisoners than it does in punishing them. Imprisonment is not the solution to reducing the crime rate in the country especially because most of the criminals go back to a life of crime after release (Buikhuisen & Hoekstra, 1974). Rather than just relying on crime and harsh prison sentences as a deterrent to crime, the United States must focus on other more effective methods such as rehabilitating prisoners through training and educational programs while still at prison. Since the prisoners are already serving the punishment for their crimes, the time they spend in prison could be used to train them on the skills they need to earn an honest living as well as rehabilitating them so as to ensure that they do not go back to a life of crime upon release (Skardhamar & Telle, 2012).
A good way of rehabilitating prisoners involves is by incorporating educational programs in prisons so as to train and equip prisoners with the skills and competence they need to earn a living once they are released from prison (Vacca, 2004). One reason that has been pointed out as the reason behind recidivism is the challenges that ex offenders face in their attempt to fit back into society once their prison term is complete. Other than the unwillingness of employers to hire people with criminal records, the lack of skills to earn an honest living limits their ability to find work or to earn an honest living. According to Skardhamar and Telle (2012), ex offenders who are unable to get employment after release from prison have a higher chance of being re-arrested than those who manage to find employment. It is therefore important to ensure that inmates get the training they need while in prison to develop the skills and knowledge that will improve their chances of finding work after they are released. Through the educational programs offered in prison, the United States will be able to reduce the rate of recidivism by ensuring that majority of the inmates seek legal means of earning a living upon release (Vacca, 2004).
According to vigessa (2013), people who experienced some form of child abuse are more likely to engage in crime than those who were not. While the decision to engage in crime may not be intentional, strains experienced in society may lead an individual into a life of crime as a way of coping with the effect of the strain. Because of this, prison systems must also focus on rehabilitating inmates and helping them to cope with past trauma that could be the result of their tendency to engage in crime. If prisons focus on helping inmates to understand their nature and what makes them more susceptible to a life of crime, they will be able to assist prisoners in realizing the error of their ways and instill a desire for positive change (Gamo, 2013). By viewing inmates as individuals and not collectively as criminals, the prison systems will be in a better position to understand what led the inmate into engaging in crime and what can be done to prevent it from happening. The goal is therefore to understand the root of the problem, such as trauma inflicted through child abuse, and coming up with a solution for it. In doing so, the prisons will be able to successfully rehabilitate the prisoners, equip them with the skills they need to live a crime free life and in doing so, reduce the rate of recidivism in the united states.
Conclusion
The United States prides itself on offering a safe and secure society for all its citizens by being strict on crime and ensuring that criminals are punished accordingly. While this may be a positive approach, it has created a system where American citizens expect immediate results from the country’s war on crime policies. In order to accommodate the strict approach taken to fight crime, a lot of effort has been put into increasing the number of prisons so as to accommodate the number of criminals arrested. However, simply taking them out of the streets has done little to reduce the crime rate and has rather increased the rate of recidivism in the country. Inmates who get released often go back to crime after serving their sentence because they either lack the opportunity or the skills and knowledge needed to lead an honest life. The United States must therefore emulate other countries that have low rates of recidivism so as to learn how to prevent ex offenders from going back to a life of crime. One way to achieve this is by rehabilitating inmates through prison education programs. By adopting such policies, America will be able to equip inmates with the skills and knowledge they need to survive life out of prison without having to engage in crime and thus reduce the recidivism rate in the country.
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