Reducing recidivism means real commitment to second chances

One of the most significant developments in criminal justice policy over the past 15 years has been the fundamental shift in thinking about the primary purpose of prisons and jails.

Not long ago, corrections administrators saw our main responsibility as essentially ensuring the people we supervise didn’t jump the wall.

Our focus was the care, custody and control of the people inside our facilities. What happened upon their release was out of our hands.

{mosads}We define success much differently today: Reducing the likelihood of someone reoffending once they’re released is a core objective of corrections administrators across the country. We now recognize that pursuing anything short of this objective compromises public safety and wastes taxpayer dollars.

This shift began taking root on a national level in 2004, when President George W. Bush declared America “the land of second chances” during his State of the Union address, insisting that “when the gates of the prison open, the path ahead should lead to a better life.”

Congress then set to work on the Second Chance Act, which the House and Senate passed three years later with overwhelming bipartisan support. With that legislation, elected officials made clear that ensuring people’s safe and successful transition from prison and jail to the community wasn’t a partisan issue, but simply good, smart policy.

Thirteen years since Bush’s clarion call, and nearly a decade since the enactment of the Second Chance Act in 2008, it is time to ask a critical question: How has the field of corrections changed, and what difference has that made?

Some states can point to data showing clear reductions in measures of recidivism to try to illustrate an impact.

A new report from The Council of State Governments Justice Center and the National Reentry Resource Center highlighted examples of seven states that have significant reductions in recidivism, including Michigan, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, South Carolina, Colorado and Arizona.

But our states are very different, and one of our many differences is the way in which we measure and define that progress. The same is true for jurisdictions across the country. Because of this, it is difficult to compare trends from one jurisdiction to the next, or establish a reliable national examination of recidivism trends.

But the new report released this week also highlights key ways in which state and local governments’ approach to reentry and recidivism reduction is fundamentally different today than it was 15 years ago. They include:

1.      Reducing recidivism has become a core part of corrections administrators’ missions.

2.      A remarkably diverse set of constituencies now embrace the goal of making a person’s transition from prison or jail to the community safe and successful.

3.      The science on what works to reduce recidivism has improved dramatically, and the application of this science in states are producing real results.

Much more needs to be done to realize the vision of ensuring that people’s transition from prison or jail to the community is safe and successful.

Just like other ambitious goals that local, state, and federal leaders embraced long before setting their sights on reducing recidivism — such as reducing teenage pregnancy or improving high school graduation rates — unqualified success will require decades of work.

The improvements we’re seeing in states have been aided by Second Chance Act grants. Those grants have helped us implement practices in our local agencies and courts that improve outcomes for people under community supervision; establish employment training programs in our prisons to prepare people for technology-based jobs upon release; improve pre- and post-release care for people with mental illnesses and co-occurring substance use disorders; and provide people with pre-and post-release mentoring and transition services, among other things.

Overall, Second Chance Act grants have been awarded to agencies and organizations in 49 states and the District of Columbia, ultimately serving more than 137,000 people. Having Congress reauthorize this legislation is crucial to helping states continue on the productive paths we’re on.

As we look forward to the next phase of this work and continuing to reduce recidivism rates, we must maintain the critical support for these reentry programs. We’ve made remarkable strides nationally in our collective effort to ensure that when a person leaves prison or jail they don’t return.

We can’t turn back now.

John Wetzel is the chair of The Council of State Governments Justice Center, vice-chair of the Association of State Correctional Administrators and director of Pennsylvania’s Department of Corrections. Heidi Washington is the director of Michigan’s Department of Corrections.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.