The primary objective of the correctional system in the USA is to rehabilitate inmates and ensure the overall safety of law-abiding citizens. For the last two decades, scholars and policymakers have engaged in academic discourse on the factors affecting efficiency in correctional systems and the justice system at large. The primary motivator of this debate is the continued failure of American systems when compared to other developed countries. High recidivism index is a key challenge to the much-desired efficiency. Recidivism denotes the tendency of convicted criminals to re-offend. A high index in this trend indicates flaws in the American correctional system. Poor social mentality towards ex-convicts, poor rehabilitation systems, and the aim of punishing rather than rehabilitating are all contributing factors to the high recidivism rate in America. This paper examines the causes and consequences of high recidivism rates in America using recent data and expert opinions on correctional systems. Additionally, it makes recommendations based on correctional systems of other countries such as Norway.
Why High Recidivism Rates in America?
America is among the countries with the highest recidivism rates in the world. According to the National Institute of Justice (2018), the recidivism rate in America is approximately 60% when compared to that of the UK, which stands at 50%. Norway has the lowest recidivism rates in the world at 20%. The data shows that correctional programs across the world are flawed; a trend that predisposes convicted criminals to the possibility of offending again. Factors that increase the re-offending rate range from social, politics, and structural aspects. Social aspects such as the inclination to revenge, lack of empowerment, and lack of support, confound to increase recidivism. Similarly, the correctional policies and structural efficiency of correctional facilities determine this rate. For a successful career in correctional facilities as a parole officer, it is vital to understand these aspects independently. Some of the most common causes of recidivism worth investigating include:
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Punish, not Rehabilitate
When compared to other correctional facilities across the world, American correctional systems seem to be harsher and less considerate. A study by Zoukis (2017) that compared various countries’ correctional systems found that America has the highest jail time for minor crimes. For instance, a convicted robber where there was no physical harm gets 12 months of jail time in Finland, while the same crime attracts a jail time of 60 months in the USA, and 45 months in Australia (Zoukis, 2017). The higher jail time specifies that the American correctional justice is more inclined into punishing the criminals rather than rehabilitating them. As prisoners interact with the system while serving their jail time, they develop a mentality that they have paid for their transgressions rather than teaching them values of social and legal conformity. This model fails to motivate convicted criminals to become law-abiding citizens.
Social Mentality
In America, there is a harsh and judgmental attitude towards convicted criminals even if they served their sentence. The need to present police reports that reflect individuals’ interaction with the justice system highly marginalize rehabilitated criminals. Therefore, despite the efficiency of the rehabilitation approaches adopted in the correctional systems and aims at reducing recidivism rates, the ex-convicts find themselves living with the guilt of crimes they served for (American Psychological Association, 2018). In the long run, they fail to become operational members of the public by being marginalized from opportunities. In a sense, their attempts to recover from crime do not count in social perception, which greatly influences aspects such as employment, social life, and even family. In dejection, these people turn to crime as a source of income, revenge, or due to malice towards society.
Poor Rehabilitation Programs
A report by World Prison Brief shows that America had the highest recidivism rate in the world for the year 2017 at 76%. This was a slight increase from 73% in 2016 and 72.5% in 2015. The trend shows that the American system is less rehabilitated in the world. Interestingly, America incarcerates more criminals than China, which has a higher population and countries such as Honduras, Venezuela, Belize, and Guatemala who have the highest crime indexes in the world. Even when these countries have higher crime rates, their justice systems are more flexible and considerate to maintain a lower index of incarceration than the USA. This shows a critical error in the entire criminal justice, which aims at imprisoning people with ineffective approaches to rehabilitate them. As observed by Gilligan (2012), the high incarceration rate in America actually contributes to crime by putting ex-convicts at a social disadvantage and widening the moral gap.
Comparison to Norway
Comparing the USA rehabilitation system to that of Norway can offer a better understanding of a working correctional system. The most critical comparison entails the correctional facilities and how they affect the inmates. A comparison by Zoukis (2017) revealed that Norway has a friendly environment in its correctional facilities. For instance, while the cell size in an American prison measures six by seven feet in most cases, in Norway, an inmate’s cell looks like a college room. The differences create a different perception of the inmate.
Secondly, inmates in Norway have private washrooms that protect them from torture or negative sexual orientations. On the contrary, there is close to zero privacy in American prison washrooms which makes most prisoners vulnerable to sexual predators. The negligence and poor prison conditions push American inmates to the edge of mental issues, which inhibit their ability to operate in a normal society after their release. In Norway, prisoners have regular cognitive programs to identify their strengths, personality types, and talents. The programs also help the inmates integrate their skills in real life to earn an honest living. This integration is possible by allowing inmates access to reading materials, writing materials, art, literature, and socialization sessions. Such a friendly prison environment is likely to rehabilitate an inmate. In America, the conditions of the prison are likely to further disorient a prisoner.
Recommendation
Following the proven efficiency of Norway’s prisons and correctional procedures, the American correctional systems should adjust to offer better prison conditions. While it is hard to implement such a policy at a federal level due to the costs involved, the stakeholders should start trials while planning an alternative source of funding for prisons. The current for-profit prison system creates a conflict of interest between investors and government objectives.
Conclusion
America has the highest recidivism rate in the world. The rate is a direct consequence of the failing correctional systems. When compared to other countries such as Norway, America has the worst prison conditions, which disorients the convicted criminals making them vulnerable to re-offend after their release. The social attitude towards rehabilitating ex-convicts, which puts them at a disadvantage, also thwarts their rehabilitation process. To reduce the recidivism rates, the shareholders in the correctional facility should focus on changes at policy and social levels.
References
American Psychological Association. (2017). Rehabilitate or punish? [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.apa.org/monitor/julaug03/rehab
Gilligan, J. (2012, December 18). Punishment Fails. Rehabilitation Works. - NYTimes.com [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2012/12/18/prison-could-be-productive/punishment-fails-rehabilitation-works
National Institute of Justice. (2018). Recidivism [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.nij.gov/topics/corrections/recidivism/pages/welcome.aspx
Zoukis, C. (2017, October 4). U.S. prisoners the least rehabilitated in the world [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-prisoners-the-least-rehabilitated-in-the-world_us_59bd49eae4b06b71800c39d7
