Recidivism and Employment – the critical connection
Recidivism: Repeated or habitual relapse, as into crime. Or, as I like to describe it – The art of going back to prison.
Here are some figures to consider:
In 2008, The New York Department of Labor found that 83% of offenders who violated probation or parole were unemployed at the time.
A 2003 Harvard University study of businesses in four major cities, only 12.5% of employers surveyed stated they would “Definitely accept” applications from ex-convicts.
According to United States Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), each year more than 650,000 men and women are released from Federal and State prisons and returned to their communities and families.
There are over 6 million ex-prisoners in the United States.
Estimated rate of unemployment among ex-prisoners: between 25-50%. The one year post-release recidivism rate: 44%
Recent studies estimate that after five years of staying clean, an individual with a criminal record is of no greater risk of committing another crime than other individuals of the same age.
Ex-offenders actually have turnover rates that are lower than the general population
What does all of this mean and how does it relate to our society?
Those released from prison fall into two categories: Those who return back to prison, and those who don’t. With the number of ex-prisoners in the United States, chances are, you probably live down the street or around the corner from one of them. Face it, once released from prison, they go back to their own communities, and that could be YOUR community as well. Granted, some convicts released from prison have no intention of becoming a ‘productive member of society’ and probably will re-offend within a matter of time. But what about the ones who sincerely desire to reform themselves and ‘do the right thing’? What happens when this group keeps getting denied employment, mostly based upon the fact that they have a criminal record? I know, I, for one, was fortunate enough upon my release to be giving a second chance, to have someone stop long enough to listen to what I had to say and to see the sincerity I had in bettering myself. But let’s say I kept getting turned down, time and time again. Then what? Well, it doesn’t leave too many options, and one of the few remaining options is to return back to the life of crime you were living prior to being arrested. Chances are, there was some sort of income or profit being made from those activities, and when you’re desperate enough and you’ve exhausted all other resources that may be the only viable choice you feel you have left. Am I saying this is right, or excusing that kind of behavior? Absolutely not! But to a lot of ex-prisoners, that’s exactly what they do. While doing research for this article, I found quite a few companies that kept an open mind regarding hiring ex-felons. And in doing this, ultimately what they are doing is making their own (or your) community a little bit safer. Think about it: would you rather have that ‘ex-con’ who lives down the street unemployed, with little options and a lot of time on their hands, or would you feel safer knowing they’re putting in 40 hours a week at work, bettering themselves and able to (legally) provide for themselves and family? The bottom line is, in our society people commit crimes. Those who do eventually get caught and do time. When they get released, they are still members of our society and community. What happens next depends not only on what their intentions are, but also how our society reacts to them and treats them. As well as what chances they are given, or what opportunities they are denied.
Summary:
I don’t think I could put it any better than John Shegerain, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International, who has employed hundreds of ex-convicts in the last 20 years: “Imagine, what would happen to our recidivism rates, gang participation rates, crime rates, and drug abuse rates if every business in the United States opened their doors and hearts to just one ex-offender. We would change our communities for the better, forever”
Written by: Author Scott Free
Note: The opinions expressed by the writer in not necessairly the opinions of
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