Re-Entry and Its Effects: Institutional and Post Release Essay

Abstr operateReentry is a ch exclusivelyenge many offenders confront once they argon incarcerated and released into ball club. The term reentry is a synonym for return and is specify as the act of waiver back to a prior place, location, situation or setting. Prison re-entry refers to the transition of offenders from prisons or jails back into the community. The judgment of life in troupe is an important part of any reintegration of institutionalized people, including people who induce been incarcerated for committing a crime. The institutionalization of a population leads to isolation, segregation and detachment of the elements of a company defining the basis of citizenship.Although individuals often reverting to the community focus to a greater extent on the choice of where they d considerably, their long-term success in society is more likely to be dependent on the social roles they have chosen to play, to the extent that they testament draft in the community and they hav e been prep bed for this purpose during their incarceration or institutionalization. Reentry can suffice p argon recidivism as easy as assist those who have been previously incarcerated to begin leading law long-suffering lives once released into society. However, over conviction the importance of prisoner reentry has been drastically lowered with less emphasis on service of process those to prepare for their release and with post release community integration. As a result, the shortage of reentry designs and limited responsibleness of probation or parole to assist in re-entry the rate at which people return to prison or jail is high. primaevalwords reentry, recidivism, institutionalizationRe-Entry and Its Effects Institutional and Post ReleaseThose who are incarcerated do not only suffice time inside their prison cell, they as well as serve time once they are released. There are many barriers that one faces once they are released such as they are denied the right to vote, access to mankind assistance, ineligible for food stamps and/or subsidized housing, and some cannot even apply for financial aid. The main worry revolving around those returning home from incarceration is the limited access to rehabilitation and assistance. The Second Chance hazard of 2007 was passed on April 9, 2008 and became Public Law 110-199. The Second Chance Act provides a second chance to those reentering society from incarceration.It abets people released from prison turn their lives around and encourages employers to give returning citizens a second chance to precede to the greater high-priced of the local economy. In this paper I would like to I would like to lay out the positive effects of successful reentry and its ability to lower recidivism. I provide also dissertate the Second Chance Act in get ahead detail, which was named to provide funding for reentry programs. I will throw out discuss the roles of Probation and watchword and propose how their roles can be shifted to enhance successful community reintegration. I will eventually explain how the Statesn care fors and ideologies play a significant role in declaration the issues behind reentry and the obstacles that prisoners are facing through their difficult journey to successful reintegration.Literature Re understandWhat is reentry and why is it important to society? Reentry is the process by which one is incarcerated, finishes his or her strong legal opinion and is released into society. They are either released because their sentence has been fulfilled, or on parole or probation. If reentry is unsuccessful, the prisoner will usually return to prison, this action is defined as recidivism. Recidivism can be determined by the number of prisoners being released from incarceration into society and consequently returning to prison. Recidivism is usually identified through arrest, reconviction, or incarceration of those who have reentered society. When released from prison, inm ates who enter society are a very unstable group. Hence the reason for the problem of the reentry process as well as its programs.According to Taxman, Young and Byrne the reentry programs should include three or more phases designed to transition the inmate into the community. The premier(prenominal) of all phase would begin in the institution with service delivery congruent with the inmates needs. The second phase would begin as the inmate is released from the institution. The inmates dangers and needs maychange importantly as he or she enters the community context. Ideally, the individual would continue in treatment services and example plans would be updated as needed. The final phase is an aftercare or relapse prevention phase where clients would receive on-going support and services to address their needs (Taxman et al. 2003)The problem with reentry begins with the Corrections part of our Criminal Justice System. opus inmates are incarcerated they receive treatment for an y health issues as well as various programs to help them upon release. However, the problem with the programs is that they are not being reevaluateed to determine whether or not they had an impact on the offenders risk of future wretched behavior. This process should begin once the offender returns into the community and also small-arm they are under supervision. The results of the reassessment should whence guide any changes within the offenders treatment plan as well as determine the effectiveness of the programs for future inmates or offenders.The Second Chance Act of 2007 was created to reauthorize the grant program for reentry of offenders into the community in the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968. It was created to improve reentry planning and effectuation and for other purposes as well. The act was introduced on March 20, 2007 by House Congressional representative, Danny Davis of Illinois. The act further had ninety-two (92) co-sponsors and was simultane ously introduced in the Senate by Joseph Biden of Delaware. After a little over a grade in the House and the Senate, the Second Chance Act of 2007 was finally signed into law on April 9, 2008 by President Bush as Public Law No. 110-199.There are some(prenominal) purposes for the cosmos of this act. The act was created to break the cycle of criminal recidivism, increase public safety and to better address the emergence population of criminal offenders returning to society. It was also created to rebuild the ties between offenders and their families which will in turn enhance stable families. The Second Chance Act will further expand the availability of substance shout facilities, alternatives to incarceration and comprehensive reentry services.The Second Chance Act of 2007 will further protect the public and rear law-abiding conduct by providing the necessary services to offenders whilethey are incarcerated and after they reenter the community. It will finally provide offenders in prison, jails, or novel facilities with educational, vocational, literacy and job placement services to facilitate a more effective and productive reentry. The Second Chance Act of 2007 highlights all the main areas where reentry is currently lacking. It will create a healthy environment, allowing the prisoner to have a chance at successful reentry.It will also reauthorize adult and juvenile offender state and local reentry projects as well as improve residential substance abuse treatment for state offenders. The Second Chance Act of 2007 will pop the question several new reentry initiatives. It will create state, local and tribal reentry courts. Further, it will create drug treatment alternatives to prison, and broaden grants for family-establish substance abuse treatment. It will further provide grants to evaluate and improve education at prisons, jails, and juvenile facilities and technology career training. This will break down the long standing barriers to successful ree ntry. The act will further provide the much needed steps to assure public safety and recovery.Some were doubting to pass the Second Chance Act because they stated that not enough research has been done on what works with reentry. In response, Representative Jones of Ohio stated, We cant study anymore. We have studied. There are all kinds of studies that have shown that community reentry works. There are all kinds of programs that say diversion works. And on that point are a lot of young people out here who dont have a set out or father that is a judge or prosecutor or congresswoman or a state representative to call and say I am a good person. They need us to say in the world that young people, older people, whatever their age, who have been involved in the criminal justness system, paid their dues. They need a chance and we ought to give them the second chance (Congressional Record, 2007).Ones views of criminal justice come from their values and ideologies. Although America can be seen as a very lenient state of matter as far as their values, people do have very strong feelings towards crime, criminals and prisoner reentry. American values include work ethic, personal responsibility, family, individual e choice and the goodness of humanity.Americans see themselves as individuals who are resistent from all other individuals. They consider themselves as separate individuals who are responsible for their own actions and situations in life (Key American Values).Americans further believe that everyone is of equal value. Americans assume that human nature is basically good and that those who have motivation can achieve any goal set. Finally, Americans have a strong value with regards to work. They admire those who work hard and achieve. A hard worker is one who gets right to work on a task without delay, works efficiently, and completes the task in a way that meets reasonably high standards of quality (Key American Values).Although at that place are many pers pectives that involve criminal justice, the main values of the American society revolve around the issues of reentry. People believe that individuals must be held responsible for their actions. Many individuals believe that there is no way anyone could repay their debt to society after committing a crime. They further feel that those who have been incarcerated have an option to live good lives and achieve their goals but instead choose the easy way out. It is miserable that many Americans do not see the realities of society and the realities of the environments that many of the offenders returning home from prison came from and regrettably will probably be returning to.There are two main ideologies in America conservatives and liberals. Conservatives believe in personal responsibility, limited regimen, free markets, individual liberty, traditional American values and a strong national defense. Liberals believe in governmental action to achieve equal opportunity and equation for al l, and that it is the duty of the State to alleviate social ills and to protect civil liberties and individual and human rights (Conservatives vs. Liberal Beliefs, 2013).Although Conservatives and Liberals differ immensely, there are those people who are on the borderline of both ideologies. Many Americans hold a prejudice against criminals based on their label. However, regardless of a persons values or ideologies, Americas view on criminal justice has shifted over the years. The shift has almost created the mind set of many Americans. The belief that punishment is necessary and that the only way that punishmentcan be achieved is through incarceration.AnalysisThe roles of Probation and Parole are to supervise the offenders once released into society. Probation and parole was designed as an alternative to prison overcrowding. It was merely based on the idea that people can change and will stop their frequent, dysfunctional behavior if abandoned the correct opportunity. This ability to change in conjunction with community safety, allow appropriate offenders to be monitored while showing that they can be productive members of society. Probation and parole officers roles in regards to reentry are to assist, supervise and ensure that this does breathe with each offender. In most cases they help offenders find housing, jobs, as well as provide expression and support for rehabilitation.While doing so, they are to protect communities by monitoring each offender through meetings, stochastic home and work visits, and sometimes using a global positioning system also k promptlys as a GPS device which tracks an offenders every move. All of the information they obtain regarding each offender, especially any entrancement of probation, is reported to the courts to then decide whether or not to revoke probation and send the offender to prison.RecommendationsBased on my research of the proposed topic of prison reentry, I personally believe there are several ways we could improve the process as well as our programs. First I think we should evaluate and reassess what is working and what is not working. Prisoners who are receiving treatment should continue their treatment even after they are released into society. The programs that are administered to inmates while incarcerated should be reevaluated so we can determine if they really are effective. Based on my research, it seems as if we offer programs to the inmates while incarcerated but once released into society they pretty much on their own.We leave it up to them to make the transition from jail or prison to society. We should be with them every step of the way and offer more assistance for them to rebuild their lives. This is part of the reason why the revolving door exist with some inmates. The help and encouragement should begin while incarcerated. Then once released into society through probation or parole, its up to those officers to assist the offender in rebuilding their life. They shoulds pend time actually getting to know the offender, communicating with the regularly, help them find a job and a place to call their own.ConclusionThe federal government recognized and acknowledged the problem of reentry due to efforts such as the Second Chance Act of 2007. This act aided in the implementation of several programs and foundations that would assist in reentry. Hopefully, over a period of time data and research will be collected to evaluate the effectiveness of each program. This data should beat once the offender enters the program while incarcerated until they are released into society and under supervision. This data will then allow the country as a whole to develop a successful model to be used in aiding the difficult transition from incarceration to society.Many of those who are currently incarcerated are young, non-violent, first time offenders who make stupid mistakes and deserve a second chance. As stated within this paper, there are various reasons why prison re entry is important to our criminal justice system as well as society. Its up to us to acknowledge this ongoing problem and do what it takes reduce recidivism and do what it takes to prepare inmates before they are released into society. As stated by Representative Norton from the District of Columbia, inmates are now coming home, lets not make it any worse than it was in condemning them disproportionately under the cocaine guidelines. We owe it to their communities to help them return and become good citizens (Congressional Record, 2007).ReferencesVisher, Christy A. and Jeremy Travis. (2003) Transitions from Prison to Community cause Individual Pathways. Annual Review Sociology. Vol. 29, 2003, pp. 89-113. Harrison, Byron and Robert Carl Schehr. (2004). Offenders and Post Release Jobs Variables Influencing Success and Failure. Journal of Offender Rehabilitation, Vol. 39, No. 3, 2004, pp. 35-68 Key American Values. 1994-1995. Retrieved from online on April 2014 http//www.umsl.edu/int elstu/Admitted%20Students/Visitor%20Handbook/keyvalues.html Congressional Record House, (2007) Retrieved from online on April 2014 http//beta.congress.gov/congressional-record/2007/11/13/house-section/articl