Jail Offender Issues Reentry to Society - Essay Sample

Introduction

Prison/Jail offender issues during Reentry to Society is basically the concerns attributed to the transition of criminals from the jails to the community. Reports from the U.S Department of Justice show that more than 600,000 people are released from federal and state jails every year (Petersilia, 2016). Offender reentry has thus continued to attract serious concerns given that the number of persons under criminal justice care is favorably high. NIS has therefore focused fully in researching and supporting initiatives that are aimed at making sure that the offender reentry process is effective. Going back to society from prisons always poses a big challenge to the offenders, families, and communities in question. In this reading, offender reentry effects on society and their possible recommendations are going to be discussed in detail.

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Effects to the Society

Ex-offenders are normally faced with challenges of all levels as they try to renter into the rhythm of the Society. The picture that the offenders portrayed to the general society often means that they face a different environment that is challenging and interferes with their productivity.

Livelihood

Housing and living conditions is always a major challenge to offender's reentry to the society as most of them lack homes and income to facilitate housing. This is attributed to the fact that most offenders have poor family ties and the stigmatization associated to people with criminal records means that landlords find it difficult to provide housing facilities (Shivy, Wu, Moon, Mann, Holland & Eacho, 2015). Homelessness my thus result as the only solution as those who find homes mostly live with family members who may not offer enough support to them. Again, ex-offenders may find it difficult to fit into the society because their rights to movement and voting are curtailed; they are mostly subjected to loneliness as family members still approach their needs with a lot of negativity, they are curtailed from voting, and this definitely interferes with their self-worth. Lack of good care from family members may create more openings to crimes as the victims look for survival.

Unemployment

Most of the offenders go back to society without unemployment benefits or savings due to lack of income. This directly results in job searching as they look for means of survival. Unlucky enough, they find it difficult to receive any job offers as employers are not willing to employ people with criminal records as they are perceived as a threat to the general society. Consequently, most of the offenders come out of prisons without education or any work-related skills that can propel them in the job market. This means that they are not competent enough for high skilled labor and the only alternative is to look for the available low skilled jobs that pay very little. The race is also a major detriment in the job market. A study showed that African-American offenders had minimum challenges of receiving job offers as the white non-offenders were twice more likely to receive employment opportunities than African-American non-offenders. This definitely means that African-American offenders had a serious challenge in receiving employment opportunities (James, 2015).

Recidivism

Reports show that 74.9% of ex-offenders are rearrested within a period of 3-5 years after their release from the prison (Shivy, Wu, Monn, Mann, Holland & Eacho, 2015). This is fuelled by the challenging, unique environment they face after coming out of prisons which strongly interferes with their ability to become more productive members of the society. It is difficult for ex-offenders to get employment opportunities as their criminal records keep off potential employers. Again, they find it difficult to access basic services as they are mostly dependent on family members who may not be willing to offer their support due to their strained relationship. These unique challenges prompt them to go back to their old behaviors in look for survival means which ultimately leads to rearresting.

Recommendations

Offender reentry has many side effects, and policy changes are recommended to alleviate these problems.

Employment Policy

By granting equal employment opportunities to every citizen, the ex-offenders will be granted an opportunity to make their case. The government should enact policies that discourage employers' rights to screen applicants' criminal history. It is essential to check criminal records while hiring, but employers focus should be based on job qualifications and not criminal records (James, 2015). The government should also create training facilities that will ensure that the offenders are equipped with the necessary skills that will suit in the job market. This will definitely help the offenders become more productive members of the society and alleviate any circumstances that may lead them in engaging with their old behaviors.

Grass Root Campaign Policy

Campaigns should be laid on the grass roots to promote the social network and participation of offenders (James, 2015). Family members should be informed on the need to support the victims and any kind of discrimination against social amenities such as housing to be dismissed. Ex-offenders should also be accepted in the society, and any bans on their voting rights and movement uplifted as it will increase their confidence which will enhance their adaptation to the unique environment. There should also be laid down plans to alleviate poverty as a big percentage of offenders hail from communities which live below the poverty line. By creating job opportunities, many youths and adults will be committed in production, and this will limit crime cases.

Education Reform

The government should be devoted to ensuring that every citizen receives an adequate education. By building enough education facilities and providing the necessary services, many youths will be enrolled, and crime levels will go down (Petersilia, 2016). This is because most of the crimes are committed by hopeless school dropouts as they look for survival means. Campaigns should also be launched against drug abuse as drug abuse by youths one of the activities resulting in crimes. The government should create awareness on the effects of drug use and also deduce mechanism that will get those involved in drug use and impose hefty punishment on them.

Conclusion

Offender reentry is a complex process that requires great attention from the government. The criminal justice department should ensure that the necessary legal measures are followed before the inception of the whole exercise. The transition should be made in a way that, the only trained offenders and those who have fully gained the required skills are the ones allowed back to society. By having offenders of good value to the society, productivity will be enhanced, and crime levels will be very low. The government should, therefore, be devoted to eliminating crime cases be focusing majorly on the root problem which in most cases is poverty. By focusing on the wellbeing of its citizens through the provision of the basic services, there are high chances that society will be less prone to crime cases.

References

James, N. (2015, January). Offender reentry: Correctional statistics, reintegration into the community, and recidivism. Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.

Petersilia, J. (2016). Prisoner reentry: Public safety and reintegration challenges. The prison journal, 81(3), 360-375.Shivy, V. A., Wu, J. J., Moon, A. E., Mann, S. C., Holland, J. G., & Eacho, C. (2015). Ex-offenders reentering the workforce. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 54(4), 466.