New
Report Demonstrates States’ Success in Reducing Recidivism
On September 25th, the Council of State Governments (CSG)
Justice Center’s National Reentry Resource Center (NRRC) released a policy
brief today highlighting a number of states reporting significant,
reductions in recidivism. The states profiled in the report show significant
declines in their three-year recidivism rates based on data tracking individuals
released from prison in 2005 and 2007. Texas and Ohio reported reductions of 11
percent, while the Kansas rate fell by 15 percent and Michigan’s rate dropped by
18 percent. Incorporating data through 2010 (and in some cases, through 2011),
the report provides the most recent multi-state information available on
recidivism. The report also notes that
70% of all states now report steady or declining recidivism
rates.
Republican and Democratic leaders in Congress, and
the US Department of Justice and other cabinet agencies, have been instrumental
in creating a climate that has propelled the work of state and local governments
in reducing recidivism. Most notably, under the Second Chance Act, landmark
legislation passed with overwhelming bipartisan support, state and local
governments and their community-based partners have been able to seed new
reentry initiatives and expand existing
efforts.
US Senator Rob Portman (R, OH), a co-author of the
Second Chance Act, applauded the states, including Ohio, for their
accomplishments. “Second Chance Act programs, in collaboration with faith-based
and community organizations and local reentry coalitions, have a proven record
of helping inmates turn their lives around, and I applaud their continued good
efforts to reduce recidivism. Encouraging people released from prison to become
productive members of society not only strengthens communities, but also reduces
the burden on taxpayers who shoulder the costs associated with
incarceration.”
The brief, “States Report Reductions in Recidivism,”
highlights strategies that leaders in several states credit with helping drive
down recidivism:
·
In Ohio, state
policymakers standardized the use of a validated risk assessment instrument to
focus limited treatment and supervision resources on those individuals assessed
at the highest risk for reoffending.
·
In Kansas,
state leaders awarded performance-based grants to community corrections
agencies, partnered with local communities where recidivism rates were highest
to improve post-release supervision, and enhanced housing and workforce
development services to better meet the needs of people coming out of
prison.
·
Michigan
officials invested heavily in the state’s Prisoner Reentry Program, prioritizing
funding for housing, employment, and other transition support services in order
to provide the most effective community-based programming for released
individuals.
Adam Gelb, director of the Pew Center on the States’
Public Safety Performance Project, said: “Reducing recidivism can produce a big payoff: If
states across the country could reduce their recidivism rates by just 10
percent, they could save more than half a billion dollars combined in one year
alone in averted prison costs.”
Mississippi Department of Corrections Commissioner
Chris Epps said: “Corrections administrators know that reducing recidivism is a
goal that can be accomplished only in partnership with other agencies and
community-based organizations. At the same time, we recognize that governors,
legislators, and the public are holding departments of correction accountable
for their recidivism rates. The data highlighted in this brief demonstrate that
we in corrections are standing up to meet this responsibility and are getting
results.”
Denise E. O’Donnell, Director, Bureau of Justice
Assistance (BJA) in the US Department of Justice, congratulated the states
highlighted in the brief. “At BJA, we’re supporting states who are committed to
taking a data-driven approach to lowering re-offense rates of people released
from prison and jail. Later this week, we’ll be announcing major awards to a
select group of states that are setting recidivism reduction targets, and like
the states highlighted today, are using evidence-based approaches to meet the
goals they set.”
| 
