Recidivism is a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior,.
especially a relapse into criminal Behavior. I often wonder why there are a large number .
of inmates who are repeat offenders. In a study according to the Justice Department, the .
rate at which inmates released from state prisons commit new crimes rose from 1983 to .
1994, a time when the number of people behind bars doubled. The report found that 67 .
percent of inmates released from state prisons in 1994 committed at least one serious .
new crime within three years. There are many factors that are involved in the high rate of .
recidivism. Poverty, unemployment, and drugs are three elements that contribute to .
ex-convicts returning to prison.
Poverty is one element that contributes to recidivism because poverty and crime go hand and hand. According to John A. Powell, professor of law and director of the Kirwin Institute, "Concentrated poverty happens when more then 40 percent of a community lies below the (federally defined) poverty level. When a neighborhood reaches a certain level of poverty, it invites crime to it." Unfortunately, not everyone that lives in a poverty-stricken environment is strong enough to overcome what he or she has .
been surrounded by all their lives. Because of their negative environment, most individuals believe the only way to escape or rise above poverty is through crime. In many cases, after being incarcerated, the individual returns to the same living conditions.
The first year after an inmate is released is critical to his or her success in returning to civilian life. Inmates are released having received little or no job training. After being released, finding a job that will support him or her becomes a task. Many, unable to find jobs and barred by law from living in public housing, quickly return to crime. So in addition, unemployment is another element of recidivism.
Finally, drugs play a major role in the reason many individuals return to jail after being incarcerated.