Preventing Crimes

The community and the prison system are together broken in the United States. The United States has the fourth highest incarceration rate in the world with approximately 0.5% of the population being incarcerated. Recidivism rates are as high as 70% in the US within five years, which towers over Norway with a recidivism rate of about 20%. This essay focuses specifically on pre and post release programs that the US lacks which can lead to preventative action against crimes and recidivism. Overall, a safe place to confess one’s desire to commit a crime can be helpful in preventing them, and granting inmates access to education and post-release vocational programs can reduce recidivism.

To begin, giving people a safe space to admit they want to commit a crime can help prevent crimes. The response should be help, not just restraint. Help can look like switching up one’s environment to make them around people who are less threatening to them. It can also look like empowerment, requesting apologies from people, and justice. People who want to commit crimes should be put in environments that give them control back. 

Additionally, granting inmates access to education has been proven to be extremely helpful, especially granting inmates access to liberal arts degrees. One study showed that “Inmates who participate in correctional education programs had 43 percent lower odds of recidivating than those who did not.” (1). Another study showed that those who earn a degree while in prison had 4% odds of recidivism compared to 33% odds of recidivism for those who hadn’t earned one. (2). I emphasize a liberal arts degree not because these studies do, but because I suspect studying what is comfortable and interesting is more beneficial than studying what is practical.  It probably builds a calming effect, because it focuses less on what is productive and more on what is engaging to the prisoner. 

The study by Stevens and Ward was exceptional, (although it was done over 25 years ago). It was incredibly comprehensive and pointed out that “it is less expensive to educate inmates than to reincarcerate them." It also said, "Researchers recommend that lowering of recidivism becomes one of the missions of the correctional community and that college degree programs become an intrinsic part of that mission.” I agree that lowering recidivism is a core mission of correctional institutions, and it’s valuable and persuasive information that it is more cost effective to educate prisoners than reincarcerate them. (Although I would favor education over reincarceration even if it weren’t cost effective.) 

Finally, post-release vocational programs are important for preventing recidivism. It’s obvious that ex-convicts deal with so much stigma. It’s harder for them to find a job, but employment is a good way of preventing recidivism. Most research into recidivism points out that ex-convicts who hold down a job are less likely to be rearrested. 

Overall, crime can be prevented with adequate care and attention, and so can recidivism be prevented through work and education. 

Citations

1. L. Davis, R. Bozick, J. Steele, J. Saunders, & J. Miles. (2013). Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education. RAND. Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education: A Meta-Analysis of Programs That Provide Education to Incarcerated Adults | RAND

2. D. Stevens & C. Ward, (1997). College Education and Recidivism: Educating Criminals is Meritorious. US Department of Justice Programs. College Education and Recidivism: Educating Criminals Is Meritorious | Office of Justice Programs.