Boston Reentry Initiative Essay

795 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Rate of recidivism after rehabilitation

Noah Vasquez

The Boston Reentry Initiative program was created due to a wave of violence that purged the streets of Boston neighborhoods. In early 2000, Boston crime rates surged in almost every major category; aggravated assault, robbery and rape. This surge was occurring mainly in minority neighborhoods, which are categorized as high impact areas due to the susceptibility to crime caused by poverty and unemployment. During these times, there was also a 13% spike in firearm related crimes. The police commissioner did an analysis of the crimes and concluded that the cause of the violent crimes was mainly due to ex-offenders that returned home from the Suffolk County House of Corrections and committed more violent crimes upon their reintegration …show more content…

The police commissioner sought to reduce the number of violent offenders and so called Superintendent Joyce to arm a joint law enforcement and community effort to aid in the fight against rising crime rates. The Boston Reentry Initiative was designed to ease the transition process for these high risk violent offenders at the Suffolk county house of corrections back into boston communities. Their goals were to reduce the rate of recidivism and give aid and support to ex criminals. Recidivism is the rate at which people who finish their sentences at a correctional facility later commit another crime upon reentering society that lands them back in jail. In order to give these individuals the support they needed so they would not become repeat offenders, the program provided mentors, case managers, social workers and vocational development workers to aid in the reintegration of …show more content…

One being to focus on giving serious returning offenders resources that they could need, such as these caseworkers, workshops and open discussions. Second was to provide a public safely and social service approach. Creating alliances between community providers and law enforcement. Third was an intervention service, that was individualized to each offender. A panel discussion would be hosted within 45 days of an inmate’s entrance to the correctional facility. This panel was mostly law enforcement and crim agencies speaking about recidivism. Then, case workers and mentors from mostly faith based organizations like the ones listed above would work one on one with individuals and enumerate the resources that would be provided to them after release. They would develop transition plans with the individual and outline the services that could be provided if they agreed to enter the program. Services were mental health, substance abuse intervention, career counseling, job placement workshops, educational programs and transportation information. The inmate was given individual presentations by members that warned them about the consequences of returning to jail after being released. This panel and discussion was aimed at delivering support, and not accusing the individual, which made it unique to the programs out there. The panelists would pledge to help, and as esteemed leaders of these communities, at times ex

Show More
Related

  • The Importance Of Sentencing In Canada

    690 Words  | 2 Pages

    Rehabilitation also involves programs in prisons that have the goal of helping offenders return back to society (Goff, 2014, p.20). Prisons have also put in place programs to assist inmates, “the goal of these release programs are to ease the transition of offenders from the institution into the community while simultaneously promoting stable employment after release” (Cullen & Jonson, 2011, p.309). If a person has been in an institution for a long period of time it is often hard to adjust to life outside, which is why these programs are important in the justice

    Read More

  • The Rise of America’s Prison Empire

    1930 Words  | 4 Pages

    When envisioning a prison, one often conceptualizes a grisly scene of hardened rapists and murderers wandering aimlessly down the darkened halls of Alcatraz, as opposed to a pleasant facility catering to the needs of troubled souls. Prisons have long been a source of punishment for inmates in America and the debate continues as to whether or not an overhaul of the US prison system should occur. Such an overhaul would readjust the focuses of prison to rehabilitation and incarceration of inmates instead of the current focuses of punishment and incarceration. Altering the goal of the entire state and federal prison system for the purpose of rehabilitation is an unrealistic objective, however. Rehabilitation should not be the main purpose of prison because there are outlying factors that negatively affect the success of rehabilitation programs and such programs would be too costly for prisons currently struggling to accommodate additional inmate needs.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Parole And Prison Reentry

    961 Words  | 2 Pages

    In America millions of offenders including men and women leave imprisonment in hope to return to their family and friends. On an article Prisoners and Reentry: Facts and Figures by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, in the year 2001 1.5 million children were reunited with their parents as they were released from prison. Also in 2005 the number of that passed prison gates were 698,499 and the number of prisoners that were released was approximated at about 9 million. Parole and Prison reentry has been a topic that really interests not only a lot of the communities around the world but is a topic that interest me. Recidivism is not only the topic that interests people but the offenders that get off on parole and how they cope with society after they

    Read More

  • Ex-Offender Reentry Process

    600 Words  | 2 Pages

    In-prison and post-release vocational training and work programs evaluations have shown that they are considered to be most effective, as they greatly reduce the rate of recidivism. Steady employment and educational services are some of the main factors in delaying or preventing an individual from re-offending in the first three years following release. More reentry programs are using the comprehensive strategy in response to what research and evaluations have found. Comprehensive strategies are applied in the state and local levels of government, mainly relying on community-based groups to coordinate and provide services for those re-entering society. These programs usually start before a prisoners release and provide assistance in receiving employment, housing, substance abuse, and mental health

    Read More

  • Intersectionality In Prison System

    1594 Words  | 4 Pages

    Because these changes in sentencing policy have created greater prison populations, laws like the Three Strike Policy have parole officers with a heavier burden. This increased work load transformed the focus of parole supervisors from rehabilitation of ex offenders, to law enforcement. (Travis 241) New modes of surveillance were introduced and by 1997, the rate of successful reentry was at a low of 44%— successful reintegration back into society was not the norm for most individuals. (Austin

    Read More

  • Reforming the U.S. Prison System: Rehabilitation over Incarceration

    1766 Words  | 4 Pages

    Prisons and correctional facilities in the United States have changed from rehabilitating people to housing inmates and creating breeding grounds for more violence. Many local, state, and federal prisons and correctional facilities are becoming more and more overcrowded each year. If the Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to stop having repeat offenders and decrease the volume of inmates entering the criminal justice system, current regulations and programs need to undergo alteration. Actions pushed by attorneys and judges, in conjunction current prison life (including solitary confinement), have intertwined to result in mass incarceration. However, prisoner reentry programs haven’t fully impacted positively to help the inmate assimilate back into society. These alterations can help save the Department of Corrections (DOC) money, decrease the inmate population, and most of all, help rehabilitate them. After inmates are charged with a crime, they go through the judicial system (Due Process) and meet with the prosecutor to discuss sentencing.

    Read More

  • Juvenile Offenders Recidivism and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

    2841 Words  | 6 Pages

    Pearson, F. S., Lipton, D. S., Clel & Yee, D. S. (2002). The effects of behavioral/cognitive-behavioral programs on recidivism. Crime & delinquency, 48 (3), pp. 476--496.

    Read More

  • Pros And Disadvantages Of Ex-Offender Reentry: Advantages And Alternatives

    1388 Words  | 3 Pages

    Reentry programs have been developed nationwide to address offender needs and smooth the transition from prison into the community. Reentry programs are initiatives taken to ensure that ex-offenders successfully transition into law-abiding members of their communities. Studies have revealed that ex-offender reentry is a process that all individuals transitioning from prison to the community experience. Ex-offender reentry program is a precursor to successful community reintegration, hoewever, there are few interventions that have demonstrated success to meet the overwhelming needs of individuals leaving correctional facilities during their

    Read More

  • Reevaluating Reentry Programs: A Californian Perspective

    727 Words  | 2 Pages

    With an influx of more offenders being released on paroled in our communities, policymakers had to reevaluate the existing laws and policies governing reentry program. The rehabilitation programs were no longer available due to funds constraints to support a higher population of offenders that were incarcerated. The impact that the lack of resources made on reintegration was visible in offenders that were rearrested shortly after they were released. Initially, three counties in California had the opportunity to implement a program aimed at improving reentry programs. San Diego was the first County to implement a program to address issues with reentry program to ensure safety of the public and meet the needs of the offenders in the state of

    Read More

  • Canada Should Focus More on Rehabilitation and Less on Retribution

    3232 Words  | 7 Pages

    Wormith, J. S., Althouse, R., Simpson, M., Reitzel, L. R., Fagan, T. J., & Morgan, R. D. (2007). The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders: The current landscape and some future directions for correctional psychology. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 34(7), 879-892.

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Recidivism

    868 Words  | 2 Pages

    Recidivism rate in the United States is extremely high. According to the National institute of Justice, “Within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested. Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year.” Those who have been in prison are more

    Read More

  • Models of Corrections

    1258 Words  | 3 Pages

    This model of corrections main purpose was to reintroducing the offenders in to the community. This Program was invented to help offenders in the transition from jail to the community, aid in the processes of finding jobs and stay connected to their families and the community. The needs of these individuals are difficult: the frequency of substance abuse, mental illness, unemployment, and homelessness is elevated among the jail population.

    Read More

  • Current Issues in the Correctional System

    1045 Words  | 3 Pages

    The “Tough on Crime” and “War on Drugs” policies of the 1970s – 1980s have caused an over populated prison system where incarceration is policy and assistance for prevention was placed on the back burner. As of 2005, a little fewer than 2,000 prisoners are being released every day. These individuals have not gone through treatment or been properly assisted in reentering society. This has caused individuals to reenter the prison system after only a year of being release and this problem will not go away, but will get worst if current thinking does not change. This change must be bigger than putting in place some under funded programs that do not provide support. As the current cost of incarceration is around $30,000 a year per inmate, change to the system/procedure must prevent recidivism and the current problem of over-crowed prisons.

    Read More

  • Models of Corrections

    1627 Words  | 4 Pages

    “The history of correctional thought and practice has been marked by enthusiasm for new approaches, disillusionment with these approaches, and then substitution of yet other tactics”(Clear 59). During the mid 1900s, many changes came about for the system of corrections in America. Once a new idea goes sour, a new one replaces it. Prisons shifted their focus from the punishment of offenders to the rehabilitation of offenders, then to the reentry into society, and back to incarceration. As times and the needs of the criminal justice system changed, new prison models were organized in hopes of lowering the crime rates in America. The three major models of prisons that were developed were the medical, model, the community model, and the crime control model.

    Read More

  • Effects Of Prisoner Reentry Into The Community

    822 Words  | 2 Pages

    The last two goals were set in place to directly assist with anticipating and planning for problems that arose during a prisoners’ reentry process. By implementing the Second Chance Act, the corrections system had begun helping prepare an offender for reentry. More research the corrections system conducted to assist reentry involves the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) that redirected research attention to coordinated approaches for offenders returning to communities like job training and substance abuse programs ("Offender Reentry | National Institute of Justice," n.d.). Communities should embrace ex-inmates back into society.

    Read More

More about Boston Reentry Initiative Essay

Open Document