Prison Work Release - Does It Help in Recidivism?

Prison Work Release

Does it help in recidivism?

The reason I choose to write on this topic is to explain the work release program in prison for recidivism. In addition, while working in corrections I worked at a work release center. While these issues among the general public is somewhat complex, the program itself is fairly straightforward. Prison work release allows an inmate in custody with the Department of Corrections to live at a prison work release center and to go out in the community independently and find employment. The Department of Corrections does not find jobs for the inmates. The inmate must search for jobs and interview like anyone else looking for a job. Inmates walk, ride a bicycle, or use public transportation to look for a job. Once they obtain a job they use the same methods to get to their job. The Department of Corrections also does not pay for the use of public transportation. In order to find employment some centers require inmates to buy a bus pass that is valid for at least one month. However, since most inmates do not have any money to buy a bus pass they rely on family or anybody they can convince to send them money.

The general public is somewhat leery about allowing inmates to be free to work with the general public. Sometimes when a person of the general public learns that an inmate is working at a restaurant they patronize they won't return to the establishment. Some people might wonder what the purpose of it is. Will it prevent the offender from committing future crimes? Some people don't believe in these programs. These people feel that if you do a crime then you must do your time with no special privileges or time taken from their sentence. I have been asked similar questions of whether any of these programs will reduce recidivism I honestly answer "MAYBE."

Wilson et al. and colleagues in 2001 completed an excellent comprehensive meta-analysis of 53 experimental or quasi-experimental treatment-control comparisons based on 33 evaluations of prison education, vocation and work programs. This list includes 19 studies conducted during the 1990's and includes all of the evaluations included in a broader review of labor market programs (Bushway and Reuter 2002).

Wilson (Wilson 2001) and colleagues in 2001 find that participants in the work programs are less likely to recidivate than those who do not participate in the program. The reason that the data is so old is because it takes years to conduct such a study. Wilson and colleagues find that participants in the work release programs are less likely to recidivate than those who do not participate in the program. Although, inmates convicted of certain crimes are not eligible for prison work release.

The average effect is marginal. The average non-participants have a recidivism rate of

50%, nationwide and the program participants have a recidivism rate of 39%, a reduction of about 10%. In support of the claim that work contributes to recidivism, program participants were substantially more likely to be employed when released from prison. Some inmates keep the job they were employed at while in custody of the Department of Corrections after they are released. The inmates become valuable members at their business of employment. Some have received awards and recognitions including employee of the month. The inmate's job also helps them build their self esteem which will hopefully encourage them to maintain legal employment and not go back to the self destructive behavior which led them to prison.

Unlike other programs such as counseling, prison work programs can be justified for reasons other than rehabilitation of the individual offender. From the perspective of the policy maker in the criminal justice system, it helps the inmate by occupying their time while incarcerated, create revenue (maybe), and provide a way for prisoners to "pay back" their debt to society. When I worked at a prison work release center an inmate was required to pay 45% of their income to the center to cover their room and board. A certain percentage was also taken out of their pay to reimburse court fees and fines. However, there were many inmates that never found work in the community. Some others arrived at the center too close to the end of their sentence and did not have time to find a job. Instead they worked around the center and earned a monthly stipend. Virtually every prison has some type of work program for at least some of the inmates in the prison. To qualify for work release the inmate has to have a community custody status. Certain offenses also prevent an inmate from being able to participate in work release programs in the community. Work release programs have been and remain very common in many areas. Researchers are increasingly beginning to assert that the success of work programs (and other programs) to reduce recidivism depends on whether prison management ultimately buys into the goal of successful reentry. While working for the Department of Corrections I worked under two department secretaries. The later one heavily focused on re-entry. The idea was nice and seemed like something that would make a difference. However, due to budget cuts many programs inside the prisons that would help with re-entry were cut. Personally I have found that the secretary's focus on re-entry doesn't matter if there are no programs that focus on re-entry. Therefore, if the funds are not available re-entry focus does not work.

Most inmates have extremely low levels of education and very limited job skills. When I was a teacher with the Department of Corrections I found that the average inmate has a fifth grade education. In addition there is a large population of inmates whose native language is not English or they don't speak English at all. According to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, only 59% of state prison inmates had a high school diploma or its equivalent (compared to 85% for the adult population as a whole), and only two-thirds of inmates were employed during the month before they were arrested for their current offense. Much of this work is part time, and does not reflect stable full time work. In addition, some of the employment was through illegal means.

(Wilson 1997) shows that incarcerated offenders in Florida averaged below the poverty level a year in formal labor market earnings prior to incarceration. Perhaps this shocking fact is caused by the fact that many offenders come from very isolated inner city communities which are they detached from the world of legal work (Wilson 1997). While working for the Department of Corrections I