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Student Name
Name of program – Social Change: Re-entry programs and recidivism in the US
Name of specialization
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Table of Contents
Chapter One: Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………………… 3
1.0 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 3
1.1 Background of the Study ……………………………………………………………………………………….. 4
1.2 Problem Statement ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 6
1.3 Purpose of the Study ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
1.4 Purposes and goals: ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 8
1.5 Research Questions ……………………………………………………………………………………………….. 9
1.6 Hypothesis……………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 9
Chapter Two: Literature Review ………………………………………………………………………………… 10
2.0 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 10
2.1 Major stages- procedure before trial, a procedure during the trial, and procedure after the
trial …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 11
2.1.1 Procedure before trial …………………………………………………………………………………….. 11
2.1.2 Procedure during the trial…………………………………………………………………………………… 12
2.1.3 Procedure after the trial ………………………………………………………………………………….. 12
2.3 The most effective punishment and the least effective discipline ………………………………. 13
2.4 The significance that Pennsylvania played state within the correctional system and its
influence on the penitentiary system of today ………………………………………………………………. 14
2.5 Social Change component in relationship to Reentry program ………………………………….. 16
Chapter Three: Research Methodology ……………………………………………………………………….. 20
3.0 Introduction ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 20
3.1 Research Approach and framework ……………………………………………………………………….. 20
3.2 Research Design………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 24
3.3 Selection of research methodology ………………………………………………………………………… 26
3.4 Research Strategy………………………………………………………………………………………………… 27
Chapter Four: Data Analysis ………………………………………………………………………………………. 28
4.0 Data Analysis ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 28
Chapter Five: Findings and Discussion ……………………………………………………………………….. 29
Chapter Six: Conclusion and Recommendation ……………………………………………………………. 30
6.0 Conclusion and Recommendation …………………………………………………………………………. 30
References ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 33
What are the specific problems and characteristics of different types of Offender re-entry
programs targeting recidivism in the United States?
Chapter One: Introduction
1.0 Introduction
The recidivism rate of released criminals is the primary prison system’s concern. It is
a vital measure used by the prison system to reintegrate criminals securely into the public
(Cook et al. 2015). Several programs are formulated to help prisoners to cope up with their
day-to-day activities in the jail as well as assist them in adapting in public immediately they
are unconfined. Since 2013, the analysis indicates that 75 percent of the former prisoners reentered prison after 2-3 years. In the criminal system of justice, the extreme rate of recidivism
is the distressing matter regardless of the nongovernment and government firm’s effort to
eradicate it (Freudenberg et al. 2010). This has raised the need for further analysis
particularly on the programs of rehabilitation and the return efficiency, comprising mental
health as well as physical exploitation therapy programs useful in minimizing recidivism. The
highest need of criminogenic concerning the offenders’ identification is entrenched into
further modernized therapy programs which creates room for resource addition that
encourages active return as well as helping in good training of mental health experts,
communal leaders and officers of probation who will play a role in assisting former prisoners
to become good citizens. This topic will cover chapters such as problem statement,
hypotheses, the background, study objectives, concise methodology introduction, and
questions of the research (Freeman, 2003). The study will also offer a debate about the
importance of carrying out the study, and the study’s delimitations, assumptions, and
limitations.
Essentially, the main task undertaken by this study is to provide empirically-built,
evidential, triangulated studies( both qualitative as well as quantitative studies , based on US
Prisons and Penitentiary studies which critique effectiveness of Re-entry Programs from
criminological and reformative perspective, especially in the unpalatable truth that re-entry
programs had not really reformed released prisoners, but, on the other hand, have contributed
to alarming increases in recidivism or the return of prisoners back to prisons within 3-5 years
after their release thus nullifying the very purpose of such Programs.
1.1 Background of the Study
Over the previous years, the number of prisoners has decreased, while the recidivism
problem is still a challenge in the prison system even after the release of the inmates
(Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). Thus the high rate of recidivism remains the most
significant barrier in the criminal system of justice, despite of the determinations prepared by
the administration in preparing inmates for rehabilitation into the community as well as
becoming good residents. Various aspects for instance services for mental health, education,
physical abuse treatment and employment to a more significant extent may influence
recidivism between former prisoners. In most cases, the perception of the society about
former prisoners is to ensure the unconfined criminals maintain their lives directions
(McKean & Ransford, 2004). Characteristically, life limitations, as well as employment,
influence the life navigation of released criminals.
The primary target of rehabilitation agendas, as well as prisoner re-entry, is to provide
criminals with the direction and support they require (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). Some of the
particular factors of rehabilitation agendas or prisoner re-entry that are active and proficient
in meeting recidivism needs are being identified by most of the researchers, for example,
treatment of mental health house assistance, work placement and training as well as severe
drug treatment, despite the rising rate of recidivism. Consequently, carrying out this study
will enable you to explore two groups of people including non-recidivist and former
recidivist criminals; this will as well assist you in determining if therapy care can perhaps
help the expected re-entry prisoners and evade recidivism (Cook et al. 2015).
This study covers some of the programs and resource that may be helpful to active reentry, as well as offering significant assistance to prison officials, public leaders, managers of
re-entry program and forensic consultants in discovering the criminogenic needs of released
prisoners and factors of risk on the Service Inventory-Revised assessment level abbreviated
as LSI-R, as well as risk levels of recidivism (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). The RiskNeeds Responsivity is a philosophy in regard of empirically-authenticated psychosomatic
concept, it accentuates on the acknowledgment of an individual and the normative
rehabilitation framework as well as asserting the validity and significance of services for
preventing the act of breaking the law (McNeill, 2012). The LSI-R valuation implementation
in consort with the criminogenic needs of the criminals as well as risk aspects of dynamic
throughout the planning of the treatment might consent inmate justice, while community
rehabilitation may change the behavior of the criminal before re-entry.
The therapist specialism, especially in the forensic population, is the current demand.
Nevertheless, the Council for Accreditation of Counselling and Related Educational
Programs of 2016 failed to acknowledge documentation training mainly in the forensic
therapy field (Freeman, 2003). Some of the therapy programs offered in forensics comprising
personal psychotherapy, assessment, and intake, addiction therapy, group therapy as well as
treatment and diagnosis planning are addressed in the overall therapist training curricula
(Arnold, 2016). In addition to that, there are other services, for example, mental health policy
awareness, specialist forensic evidence, understanding mental health firms, and judicial
functions, ambiguity concerning privacy as well as Incompetency to Stand Trial that can
negatively impact the unacquainted, unqualified criminological therapist.
1.2 Problem Statement
The expenditure crime outcomes of American tax bucks used in and are not restricted
to, medical treatment, adjudication expenses, property losses as well as another gathering of
authorized expenditures (Prendergast, 2009). In 2013, the jails and prisons countrywide
retained more than 2.2 million prisoners. Presently, more than ½ a million criminals are
unconfined from prison yearly; this adds to five million former prisoners on controlled
probation. The government funds programs and activities to prepare the prisoners for
rehabilitation as good citizens.
According to the Justice Statistics Bureaus results, the rates of recidivism has
remained high with about 67.8 percent of unconfined inmates arrested for new delinquencies
in three years as well as 76.6 percent prisoners rearrested in five years (Serin, Lloyd, &
Hanby, 2010). Over thirty percent of the total number of criminals arrested within five years
of their release reentered jail within the 1st six months, while over fifty percent re-entered jail
within the first year after they have been released. Thus, the return of the inmates is the
current biggest challenge in the criminal system of justice.
In 2013, the Butters and Prince suggested that there is a need to discover criminogenic
and dynamic risk aspects that will help to get rid of recidivism, regardless of the general
research on recidivism subject (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). Furthermore, there is also a need to
conduct more research concerning the efficiency of reentry agendas and reintegration,
comprising physical and mental health abuse agendas’ helpfulness in averting recidivism.
Discovering aspects that have a high-risk impact on the community services and programs as
well as recidivism, for instance, personal mental health therapy and funding group summit for
return programming may address well definite matters that constrain the effective
reintegration of prisoners as well as the process of reentry as good citizens (Listwan, Cullen,
& Latessa, 2006). Accordingly, most of the problems addressed in this study are the rates of
recidivism regardless of the support and resources mechanisms that are accessible to
unconfined criminals on reentry.
The correlations between lowered effectiveness of Re-entry programs, on the one
hand, with increased rates of recidivism within first few years of release, on the other, remain
a dilemma for research studies, and question the very premise of Federal and State
investments in these Programs.
1.3 Purpose of the Study
Regarding the limited reentry programs resources as well as risk aspects that are
empirically and strictly related to recidivism have to be discovered (Cook et al. 2015).
Throughout the last study of the risks of factors of criminogenic detected by the LSI-R
among grown-up male nonrecidivists and recidivists, a literature review gap was conclusively
identified. However, this study centered on exploring recidivism through discovering released
prisoner criminogenic and dynamic risk need aspects as well as determining if mental health
therapy services comprising both group and individual counseling were utilized during the
processes of reentry, in accordance to the rates of recidivism (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). The
study results are the 1st stage of literature gap bridging; this is established through exploring
the levels of risks discovered by the recidivists and nonrecidivists assessment of LSI-R as
well as therapy offered based on the rates of recidivism. This study has adequately explored
the literature gap concerning the mental health efficiency therapy services given upon the
rates of recidivism and reentry. The research also centered at exploring duration and types of
therapy services given to nonrecidivist and recidivist make prisoners presently on central
probation across the South Texas area.
The resolution of exploring the highest criminals’ needs of criminogenic may permit
the enhancement of resource prioritization that public agencies and experts deliver to
criminals that are at the most recidivism risks and might influence the general recidivism
risks (Prendergast, 2009). Therefore, this kind of information may be useful in helping health
specialist who gives direction to prisoners to discover specific challenges based on high risks
aspects as well as offering assistance to the management of offered services by the public
agencies on reentry. Addition of the new data to literature research concerning the resource
number assigned for released inmates on reentry is another important objective of this study,
comprising the mental health therapy impact as well as a possibly useful decline in the rates
of recidivism (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). Lastly, this study is anticipated to offer
awareness to the therapy education career about the deficiency of the requirements of specific
training that therapist of mental health, majorly employed in the criminological field, are not
allowed to work with former inmates that are unpredictable.
1.4 Purposes and goals:
✓ Main objective of this dissertation is to identify, qualify and quantify the significant
drivers of criminal recidivism in the United States, vis-à-vis quality, effectiveness and
efficacious deployment of result-oriented re-entry programs carried out in prisons,
corrective centers and Penitentiaries using research study analysis of San Quentin
State Prison in Marin County, Cal, and also, Louisiana State Penitentiary, Louisiana.
✓ Other objectives include qualitative studies which consider how ineffective or
inadequate re-entry programs contribute to higher rates of recidivism in general as
well as specific contextual settings.
✓ To identify and elaborate on the correlative relationship ( or lack of it) between reentry programs and recidivism
✓ To offer solutions to these vexatious political, economic, criminological and sociopathological factors arising out of increased recidivism and their barriers, challenges
1.5 Research Questions
1. What are the specific problems and features of different types of Offender Reentry
Programs targeting recidivism in the United States?
2. What are the significant benefits/drawbacks/limitations of various Offender Reentry
Programs in context of San Quentin State Prison in Cal, and Louisiana State US
Penitentiary, Louisiana?
3. Have these Programs help reduce recidivism or contrarily, increased recidivism
within the last decade?
1.6 Hypothesis
HO: (Null hypothesis):
There is little if no evidence to suggest that Offender Reentry Programs stabilize or reduce
recidivism in San Quentin State Prison in Cal, and Louisiana State US Penitentiary,
Louisiana?
HI (Alternative hypothesis):
Effective and adequate Offender Reentry Programs have helped stabilize and reduce
recidivism in San Quentin State Prison in Cal, and Louisiana State US Penitentiary,
Louisiana?
Chapter Two: Literature Review
2.0 Introduction
In recent years, even though criminal justice organizations have implemented
increasingly “get-tough” approaches, reactions to crimes that depend on the punishments
alone have failed to our societies securer (Cook et al. 2015). Preferably, they have generated
increasing prison systems. These have the possibility of more damage than good and put
significant strains on the budgets of the government. Increasing jail verdicts does little in
deterring criminal behaviors (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). Longer sentences are related to greater
re-offending rates. The problems increase when the convicts go back to their communities. In
any justice system, most of the settings for punishments to be successful shall not exist. It
implies that programmes, strategies, and policies that concentrate on rehabilitation of the
offenders shall have a superior probability of success in improving the safety of the
community and preventing crimes. The strategies take advantage of substantial beneficial
prospects that originate by closely checking at daily interactions and social functioning of
inmates (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). The challenges depend on making sure that
correct strategies are conveyed to the proper individuals at the proper time.
It is first significant that low-risk prisoners have negligible contacts with entrenched
offenders (McKean & Ransford, 2004). Extended connections are merely likely to intensify
their reoffending risks. This has repercussions for the courts, the design of jail, and
management of inmate cases. Judges should have the authority to shift low-risk prisoners
from prisons and therefore reduce contacts with high-risk wrongdoers. First, it is imperative
that lower-risk lawbreakers have negligible connections with high-risk lawbreakers.
Prolonged contacts are only likely to upsurge their risks of reoffending. These have
consequences for inmate case administration, jail design and the justice systems (Cook et al.
2015). Associated with these are the needs to establish effective community-based
rehabilitation, leaving jails for entrenched and dangerous prisoners. Secondly, concentrated
energies are needed to design innovative strategies for the inmates identified as low-risk
offenders. Thirdly, the personnel should be appropriately nominated, resourced, educated,
and administered to deliver the greatest-value restoration services to the challenging and most
complex individuals (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). Ultimately, it is significant to show that the
plans make the convicts better, not worse. The evaluation kinds which are required to feature
constructive changes to the conclusion of programmes are cross-jurisdictional collaboration,
complex, and need vast numbers of players. National approaches to the evaluation of
programmes are sorely required. We should reinforce efforts to create a right rehabilitation
system (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). Such policies shall be internally consistent, all
coherent and comprehensive in using evidence-based practices at all levels.
2.1 Major stages- procedure before trial, a procedure during the trial, and procedure
after the trial
2.1.1 Procedure before trial
Method before trial is the first criminal justice system process in law enforcement
(Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2018). The individuals in this component are detectives, parks and
game rangers, federal agents, sheriffs and deputies, patrol officers and other people who often
make initial contacts with the criminals. They are responsible for upholding the laws,
arresting the suspects of crimes, and investigating crimes. The individuals of law enforcement
should know the rights of the criminals and suspects or suspected offenders such as
reasonable stops, Miranda rights, search and seizure rights, and a few but to mention
(Neubauer & Fradella, 2018). They should also be aware of civil rights and rights of the
citizens in order not compromise investigations in case a crime was surely committed or
violate those rights.
2.1.2 Procedure during the trial
The magistrates are the second constituent of the criminal justice process from a legal
perspective (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2018). The dominant individuals in play in the
procedure during the trial are panel members, defense attorneys, district attorney, and juries.
Most of the positions are held by nominated officers such as judges as well as district and
county attorneys. The judges in the component of the court work in ensuring that the rights of
an individual are not violated and that fair trials take place. Judges and juries play a part in
sentencing the suspected offenders for criminal activities committed (Neubauer & Fradella,
2018). They all adhere to strategies developed by the federal and state laws.
2.1.3 Procedure after the trial
The procedure after trial involves corrections (Cole, Smith, & DeJong, 2018). The
component of the procedure after trial includes corrections officers, probation officers, and
parole officers. These officers make sure that convicted criminals oblige their verdict as
instructed by the benches and supervise the convict as he or she serve his/her sentence. The
inmates who are serving sentences and being housed in jails are managed by the corrections
officers (Neubauer & Fradella, 2018). Trial generals monitor youthful and grown-up
lawbreakers who are being supervised by the courts in serving lieu sentences in prisons.
Police organizations are human set-ups established to supervise those individuals
found guilty of law violation, preserve the peace, and prosecute trials of the accused (Cole,
Smith, & DeJong, 2018). They can and are influenced by variables like day to day challenges
which face us all as well as differing agendas and values as human organizations. Both
formal and informal, every organization has defined missions, goals, and objectives. The
police organizations need to establish their missions because mission statements provide the
direction in the formulation of goals and objectives and help the organizations to distinguish
themselves from others (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). Missions, goals, and objectives
define the purpose the society anticipates of the police organizations and their responsibilities
as organizations that keep law and order. The tasks, goals, and objectives generally address
the constituencies of the police organizations; the obligations of the organizations to its
branches, and the responsibilities of each department to the police organizations; the role of
the police organizations in the community and the criminal justice systems (Neubauer &
Fradella, 2018). They are essential since they reveal the visions of the executives of law
enforcement and they are the base on which procedures and policed rest.
2.3 The most effective punishment and the least effective discipline
The most effective penalty is rehabilitation (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). Rehabilitation
focuses on assisting the prisoners, as well as criminals, overcome the barriers which made
them involve in the acts or activities of crime. According to the rehabilitation help the
criminals and prisoners to develop occupational skills, as well as to resolve the subjective
matters like aggression and drug addiction. The ultimate rehabilitation purpose is to restore
and changeover of the criminals back into the communities. The reports of American
Psychological Association (APA), shows that complemented with community-based
methods, individualized methods to crime can prove useful in the reduction of recidivism of
the offenders (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2016). The goal of rehabilitation is for the offenders to
make direct amendments to both the society as well as the victim in which the crimes were
committed. The least effective punishment is incapacitation. Incapacitations seek to avoid or
stop future crimes by physically moving the criminals away from the community. The death
penalty, house arrests, and incarceration are all incapacitation forms in modern times. This
type of punishment is too harsh since it deprives the criminals some of their fundamental
human rights such as the right to life (McKean & Ransford, 2004). The Bureau of Justice
Statistics (BJS) findings have brought the effective of incapacitation as a method of
punishments into question. Incapacitation is still a common punishment form in the U.S
despite the results by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) indicating that it is ineffective.
2.4 The significance that Pennsylvania played state within the correctional system and
its influence on the penitentiary system of today
The state of Pennsylvania played within the penitentiary system by bringing the
“Great Law” of Pennsylvania (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2016). The “Great Law” of
Pennsylvania is a set of laws Pennsylvania adopted with the arrival of William Penn in 1682.
They were based on humane Quaker principals and emphasized hard labor. Pennsylvania led
the way in trying to help and transform the offenders rather than cruelly mishandling the
offenders (O’Brien & Bates, 2005). We still use this kind of system today because we don’t
abuse our inmates anymore, and work programs are sometimes offered to them. The
Pennsylvania system had a significant role in reforming how we dealt with inmates. Using
penitentiaries, it was believed that through hard and selective forms of suffering, inmates
could change (Listwan, Cullen, & Latessa, 2006). Most implications still hold through today’s
system.
Same as Today:
– Jail systems
– Capitol offenses = felonies
– Solitary Confinement
The progressive movements, as well as the “Great Law” of Pennsylvania,
concentrated on the criminals’ rehabilitation (Prendergast, 2009). The idea was to personalize
every case to see which punishment form would adequately fit with the needs of the criminals
or prisoners. Therefore, the indeterminate and parole were developed, and these concepts still
hold through the correctional system of today.
The subculture literature as well as the prison gangs focus on the causes as well
consequences of the subculture and gang processes and behaviors in the incarcerated setting,
and the movements out and in of the setting (Skeem, Manchak, & Peterson, 2011). There is a
clear distinction between the out-group and in-group between those who are in prison gangs
and the individuals who are not members of gangs. However, the subcultural values and
norms related to the prison gangs are not limited or confined to these teams. Despite rarely
consisting of the prison population majority, gangs are usually the dominant cultural presence
in the jails while there is a tremendous cultural heterogeneity deal within the prisons. The
membership of gang is related to misconduct of prison (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2016).
However, there no national approximates of the frequency and prevalence of members of the
gang and the gangs in incarcerated settings. Great attention deals have been directed towards
the street culture importation in the settings of the jails, but less is known about how the
culture of prisons, in turn, migrates into parameters of the streets (Listwan, Cullen, &
Latessa, 2006). For sure there are changes over time in the evolution of prison gangs as the
prison gangs are important misconduct source and the current severe problems to the prisons’
management and that is why various strategies and plans have been employed to suppress and
control the activities of the gang.
A correctional officer can be defined as “an individual who is responsible for security,
supervision, and safety of individuals in jails” (Rhine et al. 2003). Correctional officer
functions directly with prisoners in the centers of detention, such as prisons or jails.
Correctional officers ensure prisoners adhere to the regulations and rules, and they keep
watch and perform security checks on the inmates’ daily activities. Correctional officers
should use interpersonal skills which are effective in maintaining safety and keeping order to
perform their tasks effectively. To be correctional officer must be an American citizen who
must have attained at 18 years and in some states 21 years (Clear, Cole, & Reisig, 2016). The
person should have either GED or a high school diploma even in certain states; they do not
have this as a published requirement. Unless an individual has a prior extraordinary history of
work or military background, he or she shall be needed to have a GED or a high school
diploma (Prendergast, 2009). A person should have a clean criminal record, and a felony
conviction always ends one’s chances of becoming a correctional officer. Drug-associated
criminal activities, whether they are misdemeanor or felony shall certainly make an
individual ineligible to be a correctional officer.
2.5 Social Change component in relationship to Reentry program
The concentration of government bodies, agencies, and organizations has been mainly on
programs of realising, while overlooking the importance of pre-release initiatives. But as the
philosophy of the Federal Bureau of Prisons outlines, ‘preparations for release start the initial
da