Recidivism In Corrections

Maintenance and Aftercare
Mandy McCurdy
Southern Oregon University

Abstract
Corrections, is an ever changing field today. One goal of corrections is to rehabilitate and treat offenders so they are ready or prepared to reenter society. It is stated that, “Reentry is the process of transition that incarcerated individuals make from prison or jail to the community,” (Velasquez, 2010, p. 8). In order for any form of maintenance and aftercare to be effective, post prison and after release, there needs to be consistency as well as follow ups on the inmates while they are incarcerated and after they are released. Further, it is necessary to be able to look past a conviction and be willing to help the inmate be successful so they do not recidivate.
What exactly is recidivism? According to the Pew Center on the States “recidivism is the act of reengaging in criminal offending despite having been punished” (2011, p. 7). There are many individuals who after being released from prison or jail that reoffend. The reasons for these individuals reoffending can range on a scale of many levels. According to Buss “the number one predictor of recidivism is employment” (2010, p. 10). Buss also states that “an unemployed ex-offender is 21 times more likely to return to prison than an employed ex-offender and the number one predictor of employment post-release is academic achievement while incarcerated” (2010, p. 10). This is stating that while offenders are incarcerated their level of education is not being fully met and that the education level while incarcerated does not exceed the standards set forth to those who are not incarcerated. In order to fix this issue we need to make sure that all offenders receive an adequate education while incarcerated and to better prepare them for the job market upon release so they do not
Day and Casey state that the study performed by Zamble and Quinsey on recidivism found that “alcohol played a role in the pre-offence period…in the 6 months preceding arrest, most of the recidivists used alcohol…and in the 24 hour period preceding the offence, a majority reported drinking heavily before offending” (2010, p. 454). This indicates that alcohol can be a contributing factor on whether an individual recidivates or commits a crime especially if alcohol is an issue for that person. Day and Casey also state that Zamble and Quinsey found that “re-offenders were much more likely to report negative feelings than those who did not re-offend, with 77.2% of re-offenders reporting dsyphoric feelings in the 30 day period prior to reoffending, compared with only 41.7% of those who had not re-offended” (2010, p. 454). There is obvious support that those who chose to re-offend have negative feelings which can stem from a variety of issues one of which could be not being able to get a job so they can support their families or their self. In order to fix this problem we must continue helping these individuals once they are released to ensure that they are successful and make sure that they have the skills as well as education required of them to have a life outside of prison or