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Rehabilitation: An Antidote to Prison Nation

by TChris

The second installment in the "Revolving Door" series -- "exploring what happens when convicts leave prison and return to their communities" -- appeared in yesterday's New York Times. The first installment, reporting on Iowa's onerous residency requirements for sex offenders, appeared in March.

Yesterday's story examines Rhode Island's effort to understand why "some women and many more men cycle repeatedly through the state's prisons."

Rhode Island is among the states beginning to make progress in easing offenders' re-entry to society with the goal of bringing the revolving door to a halt, or at least slowing it. But sometimes it can be hard to see much of a difference.

These efforts are a counterweight to the "tough on crime" thinking that dominated policy-making during the last quarter century. By focusing on punishment rather than rehabilitation, politicians filled the nation with prisoners who, after finishing harsh sentences, are frequently doomed to return to the unsettled lives that led them to prison in the first place.

Now a countertrend is gathering force, part of an unfolding transformation in the way the criminal justice system deals with repeat offenders. After punishment has been meted out and time has been served, political leaders, police officers, corrections officials, churches and community groups are working together to offer so-called re-entry programs, many modest in scope but remarkable nonetheless.

The question is whether Rhode Island has the political will to expand its investment in programs that reduce the likelihood of recidivism after inmates return to society -- and whether other states will follow suit, or continue with the failed policies that incarcerate first and deal with the consequences of that incarceration later (or never). Most of those sent to prison (at enormous cost to the taxpayer) will eventually be released. With little hope of finding legitimate employment, with little support from families that have scattered or drifted away during their years behind bars, and with housing options that assure residence in crime-ridden neighborhoods, their return to crime is almost inevitable. Providing meaningful help upon release prevents crime at less cost than a new prison sentence imposed after the crime is committed.

This should be a win-win policy, but state and federal legislators often fear being tagged "soft on crime" if they advocate abandoning the failed policies that have made the U.S. one of the world's leaders at locking up its residents. The Times article provides hope that reason might yet prevail.

"The goal now is to see if you can rehabilitate lives instead of just locking them up," said Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, a Republican, using words that once may have seemed politically risky. Mr. Carcieri has directed state agencies involved with education, drugs, mental health, housing and other issues to work with current and former prisoners.

Following an example set by Connecticut, Rhode Island has pledged to reinvest any savings from reduced prison populations in new aid for departing inmates.

Mayor David N. Cicilline of Providence has assembled a re-entry council, bringing together the police chief, religious leaders, businessmen and other community leaders. The council seeks to offer aid to every offender returning to the most affected neighborhoods, like South Providence.

In Washington, in another sign of the shifting national mood, the Second Chance Act, a bill to increase federal financing for re-entry programs, is moving through Congress with strong bipartisan support and the endorsement of the White House.

With its joining of public agencies and community groups, Rhode Island is part of a movement that is taking hold in dozens of states, said Debbie A. Mukamal, director of the Prisoner Reentry Institute at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Yet in Rhode Island, as elsewhere, money and facilities, especially to support people once they return to the community, have not caught up with the new goals.

< A Pittance for 27 Years of Lost Freedom | The Fragile Truce Begins >
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    Re: Rehabilitation: An Antidote to Prison Nation (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Aug 13, 2006 at 02:23:51 PM EST
    I remember reading an article in Scientific American a couple of years ago on a metastudy -- a study of studies -- about rehabilitation. Turns out it does work. It depends on the particular thing needing fixed, of course, but overall it is effective and saves money. I was reminded at the time that the Republican right-wing cut it's teeth on trashing rehabilitation back in the 70's. Thank God we're finally starting to evolve again. Maybe they'll be the butt of good jokes again like they were when All In The Family was big.

    Re: Rehabilitation: An Antidote to Prison Nation (none / 0) (#2)
    by Steven Sanderson on Sun Aug 13, 2006 at 03:01:08 PM EST
    Sadly, I think America's rejection of rehabilitation is an example of our desire for instant gratification. Penny-wise and pound-foolishly we just lock 'em up and throw away the keys without a thought to the future and the eventual human, societal, and financial costs that this attitude incurs. Rehabilitation requires planning for the future and financial expenditures that don't provide immediate, observable results. This doesn't fit the current American pattern. Americans no longer save or plan for the future, we spend insatiably and live on the financial edge. Our income is spent before we even get it and we borrow and finance at every opportunity in order to keep one step ahead of financial ruin. This leaves no room for "highfalutin" ideas like rehabilitation. We're unprepared for the future in many, if not most, areas. Rehabilitation and a lot of other good social investments have fallen victim to our lack of forethought. I hope TChris is correct and that public attitudes are catching up with reality.

    Re: Rehabilitation: An Antidote to Prison Nation (none / 0) (#3)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Aug 13, 2006 at 05:03:29 PM EST
    We're unprepared for the future in many, if not most, areas. Rehabilitation and a lot of other good social investments have fallen victim to our lack of forethought.
    I wish it were just a matter of lack of foresight. The terrible truth is our "elites" are genocidal, and if they can't squeeze anything out of you they'd rather you drop dead.

    Re: Rehabilitation: An Antidote to Prison Nation (none / 0) (#4)
    by JSN on Sun Aug 13, 2006 at 07:47:31 PM EST
    Some of the members of the Iowa legislature are aware that recidivism is a contributing factor to the overcrowding of our prisons. But the leadership is not interested in doing anything that might appear to be soft on crime. There have been many studied that show that stable (don't have to worry about being laid off) employment is a key factor in reducing recidivism. I did a study of Iowa parolee and probationer employment rates and found that they had unemployment rates (20% to 25%) four times the average of unemployment rates in their judicial district and many of those employed were part time or had seasonal jobs. For revocations to jail or prison the employment status was unemployed or unknown for 83% of the parolees and 73% of the probationers. Iowa legislators like to use the loss of drivers license as a criminal sanction. Of the 53 ways to lose a drivers license 20 are criminal sanctions. For a rural resident to have a job, buy groceries and see their parole/probation officer they have to drive. If they drive to see their PO they have violated the conditions of their parole/probation. If we were to replace the legislature with a flock of sheep I don't think we could tell the difference.

    Re: Rehabilitation: An Antidote to Prison Nation (none / 0) (#5)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sun Aug 13, 2006 at 09:59:31 PM EST
    IL Prison Program Could be a Model for Other States
    In a sudden election-year burst of activity, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has announced that he wants not only to embrace the Illinois rehabilitation model, which is costly and labor-intensive, but also to expand it by more than fivefold in a couple of years. Schwarzenegger has called a special session of the Legislature, to begin today (August 12, 2006), to consider a nearly $6 billion emergency package of projects to try to rescue the failing prisons. Much of the money would be spent on building new prisons, but a focus is something called "re-entry centers," or prisons that, like Sheridan, would provide intensive treatment and training so that inmates would re-enter their communities drug-free and with more skills and support.