Problem
In the United States, 68% of prisoners will be rearrested 3 years after being released. In Norway, this number sits at only 20% after 2 years of being released. Based on those statistics alone, it is clear that countries have varying recidivism rates. Recidivism is the tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend. I have looked into why this happens and if the prisons are actually helping prisoners so that they don't reoffend and help prepare them to contribute to society upon their release.
Why?
Although I don’t have a personal connection to prisons, I still thought that the topic was interesting, which prompted me to chose it for my Capstone project.
Research
Who has the highest and lowest recidivism rates in the world?
The United State has one of the highest recidivism rates at approximately 64%, while Nordic countries like Sweden and Norway have rates on the opposite end of the spectrum at 20%.
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How many people go to prison?
In the United States, 707 out of every 100,000 people go to prison. In Nordic countries, like Norway and Sweden for example. In Norway, the incarceration rate is 79 out of every 100,000 people. In Sweden, it is even less with 68 out of every 100,000 people.
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How are the prisons from different countries different from each other?
There is a clear contrast between these two images. The image on the left is from a US prison, and the other on the right is from a prison in Norway. Aside from the appearance of the cells in these prisons, there is also a difference in the way the prisoners are treated. In certain prisons in Norway, they allow the inmates to wear their own clothes, cook their own food, as well as have private visits. This seemingly results in a lower recidivism rate.
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Why are there so many people in prison?
There weren’t always a lot of people in prison, but a notable event that contributes to the issue is the Crack Epidemic of the 80’s. There was a dramatic spike in drug related crime, causing US legislation to pass laws that would make sentences for drug related crimes more harsh. Once inside the prison, the prisoners will learn from one another on how to be more elusive and effective when it comes to committing crimes.
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What do prisons offer to inmates?
Most prisons do not offer classes to their inmates. Some prisons may offer some course, but not enough to have any sort of impact on the overall recidivism rates.
Engagement
I was guided towards the following terms after my conversation with Dr.Kristi Anderson from the 4th Purpose Organization. The organization’s mission summarized is to help former convicts with leaving a meaningful and positive life after being released.
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Criminogenic Risk Factors - Some examples of these factors are:
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Peer relationships
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Personality Disorders
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Conviction history
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Family Relationships
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Education and employment
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Leisure and recreation
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Substance Abuse
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Receptivity - each prisons’ ability to make changes
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Dynamic Security - “Dynamic security means that basic grade prison staff are trained and encouraged to develop good personal relationships with prisoners, to know and understand them as individuals, to provide sympathetic help with personal problems and to engage in meaningful dialogues with them.” These positive interactions between the prisoners and the guards have shown to reduce negative attitudes and behaviors. This method has proven to be effective in lowering the overall recidivism rate.
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Solution
I’ve come up with an action plan that can be implemented into prisons in order to reduce recidivism rates.
If we take the ideas of dynamic security, where prisoners and prison staff have a more personal relationship with each other, as well as offer classes teaching concepts that are applicable to the outside world, then we should be able to see a decrease in recidivism rates.
This new prison system should be used for first time offenders and any other prisoners from other prisons who are serving time for nonviolent crimes. Once they’ve served their sentence, these individuals should be equipped with the proper skills and knowledge to be successful. However, the final step takes place outside the prison walls. Each individual prison must partner up with local businesses in order to provide these former criminals with an opportunity to start their life over and make meaningful contributions to society.
This won’t happen overnight, but overtime, with the proper ideas put into place, we can make a significant and positive change to the world.
