What needs to be done when prisoners are released?
First off, you can’t wait to ‘do’ something until they are released. Reentry planning must start the moment the offender is received at a prison reception center. He or she needs to have a risk and needs assessment completed at intake, identifying those areas where deficiencies exist. These include education, job training, substance abuse, anger management, and so forth. Then we need to identify inmates who are 1 to 2 years from prison release, and are motivated to fully participate in the program if given the opportunity. We need to get these prisoners into quality prison programs. The prison programs needs to be evidence-based, as there is now a good science that exists about what prison programs work, and which do not. Good programs, if implemented correctly, can reduce offender recidivism by 10% to 15%. While it might now sound like much, those recidivism reduction rates can produce substantial cost savings and public safety. 4) Does intensive parole supervision decrease crime? Wha
