This Week in CQ Researcher

Prisoner Reentry by Peter Katel,
December 4, 2009

Can aid to ex-inmates significantly reduce recidivism?

Nearly three-quarters of a million prisoners will be released from state and federal prisons this year – an unprecedented number – and about half of them will be returned to prison over the next three years after committing new crimes or violating parole. As the recession makes it harder for ex-prisoners to find jobs and limits states’ ability to house rising numbers of inmates, worries about revolving-door incarceration are escalating.

Many experts see an answer to the problem in so-called reentry programs, which are designed to lower recidivism by helping soon-to-be-released or newly released prisoners land on their feet, sometimes assisting them in getting jobs before leaving prison. But even after enactment of former President George W. Bush’s Second Chance Act, which supports reentry programs, they remain relatively scarce. In fact, in many states, funding for prison needs has overtaken proposals to pay for reentry.

• Are state governments doing enough to help prisoners reenter society?
  
• Should government or private organizations provide subsidized jobs for ex-prisoners?
  
• Do reentry programs significantly reduce recidivism?

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