Risk factors associated with reentry into contemporary corrections | 2022

Risk Factors Associated with Reentry into Contemporary Corrections: A Technical Guide to Understanding and Improving Recidivism

‍

Image Source: Pexels‍

Reentry into the community after incarceration is a complex process that poses a significant challenge for correctional institutions and programs. Post-release reintegration requires integrating an individual back into society and resuming relationships, usually with family, friends, and former colleagues. However, recidivism is common in this phase of life once a person has been released from prison or other correctional institution. Understanding why individuals are more likely to recidivate is essential to designing effective interventions to reduce reoffending rates. This article will provide you with all the information you need to understand the risk factors that can increase your chances of reentering the correctional system after release. This includes evidence on the most effective interventions for reducing recidivism, as well as examples of research on risk factors that have been identified in various studies.

What is Recidivism in the criminal justice system?

The rate at the percentage of people who are convicted of one criminal offence and are reconvicted of another within a specified period of time. Recidivism is typically defined as a return to criminal activity after a period of non-criminal activity which in turn increases the prison populations and is based on the justice statistics from records collected from the prison system. Recidivism is often viewed as a failure in the criminal justice system. Evidence shows, however, that there are many people who have been released from incarceration who do not recidivate. Understanding why recidivism rates are so high will help correctional practitioners, researchers, and policymakers to identify and implement more effective policies and interventions to reduce reoffending rates.

Theoretical Framework of Recidivism

Prisoner reentry can be understood as the outcome of a dynamic interplay of three factors: the individual, the environment, and the individual-environments relationship. Evidence indicates that the majority of offenders are not simply “turned off” by the correctional system. While many offenders suffer from negative life events that may have contributed to their criminal behaviour, these events alone are not sufficient to explain recidivism. It is also critical to understand how these events affect individuals and the factors that influence re-offending. For example, it has been found that individuals have a limited capacity to deal with their experiences and develop skills that can potentially reduce their risk of re-offending. Similarly, the environment in which offenders find themselves when they re-offend is influenced by both their individual characteristics and the characteristics of their environment. For example, researchers have found that the rate of recidivism is higher in environments characterized by risk factors.

Risk Factors that Increase the Likelihood of Recidivism

Researchers have identified numerous factors that increase the likelihood of prison reentry. These factors can be grouped into two categories: individual characteristics, and environmental factors. Individual characteristics such as cognitive skills, personality, mental health, substance abuse, behavioral skills, and attitudes can contribute to an individual’s chances of recidivating. Risk factors that are related to an offender’s environment include an offender’s current residence, community supervision, lack of substance abuse treatment, and the presence of a criminal associate.

Strategies that Reduce Recidivism

Effective interventions for reducing reoffending rates can be tailored to address the specific factors that contribute to recidivism. These interventions should be structured to provide positive experiences that can impact an individual’s development in positive ways. Effective interventions can be applied to address any of the risk factors that contribute to recidivism. For example, one strategy that has been found to reduce recidivism rates is addressing mental health problems. One study found that individuals with mental health issues had higher rates of recidivism than those without mental health issues.

How to Integrate Risk and Protective Factors into a Repeat offender Intervention program?

Theoretically, risk factors can be identified and interventions can be designed to reduce the risk of recidivism. The challenge, however, is that most risk factors can be difficult to identify. This is especially the case for risk factors that occur in the environment that is outside of an offender’s control. Thus, it can be challenging for practitioners to identify and implement interventions that address environmental risk factors. One way to address this challenge is through a targeted approach. By focusing on specific aspects of a program that may reduce an individual’s risk of recidivism, practitioners can effectively increase the protective effect of the program. For example, a reentry program can be structured to address the risk of drug use. A drug-skills program can provide an opportunity for individuals to practice using drugs safely so that they are less likely to engage in unsafe behaviours when they are back in the community.

Conclusion

Recidivism is a challenge for corrections and communities. Effective interventions can be tailored to reduce an individual’s risk of recidivating and can be implemented regardless of the risk factors that may be influencing an offender’s behaviour. The key is identifying risk factors and implementing interventions that address these factors. Recidivism can be reduced by implementing a risk reduction strategy that addresses specific risk factors. Risk reduction strategies can be applied to any program, such as a drug-skills program, mental health program, reentry program, or education program. In these programs, risk-reduction strategies can be implemented to reduce the risk of recidivism.

Related information:

Long-term criminal justice Reform

As mass incarceration increased there were changes to the nature and objectives of post-prison parole supervision. This is the result that the reintegration system primarily emphasizes surveillance and punishment. The violation of the parole and sentence system accounts for large proportions in the admission of prisoners. Recent findings suggest that the parole system plays an important role within the revolving doors of prisons. Lacking the right to be held by judicial bodies when re-appointed is likewise a serious legal problem.

Prisoner Reentry in the Era of Mass Incarceration

Identifying and understanding the connection between jailer enrollment in prisons and communities requires recognizing four key characteristics. Secondly, increasing incarceration is disproportionately experienced by minority groups and mainly white people. One research center in the US in 2008 estimated that one in nine African Americans aged 20 to 34 is in jail each month, which is about 1 in 3. Over half of African-American men without college education have been put into prison (Pettit and West 2004).