What is needed to be successful and not return to prison.

The statistics are overwhelming and mind-blowing when you do the research to see how many people return to prison, how many people are released each week and how many are arrested in a day. So many people have researched and studied the rate of people returning to prison and yet the researchers do not have an answer as to why or haven’t questioned the Prison System as to why so many people return after 1 year, 3 years and 5 years. They can narrow it down to specific amount of years and even States that have the most people returning to prison but they cannot explain why.

Here is a look at how many people are arrested every year, how many have serious health issues and mental health issues and how many get released every year. (Rough Estimates)

Over 10,000 ex-prisoners are released from America’s state and federal prisons every week. More than 650,000 ex-offenders are released from prison every year, and studies show that two-thirds will likely be rearrested within three years of release. So, where is the disconnect, the problem, where are these ex-offenders failing in society that causes them to go back to prison? What changes can be made to ensure that they do not go back in the first year, third year or five year.

428,000 people will go to jail three or more times over a course of a year- the first national estimate of a population often referred to as ” frequent utilizers”. People with substance abuse disorder have the highest percentage of arrest with two more times in a year, followed by people with serious psychological distress, then people with serious to moderate mental health illness. People with substance abuse and mental health issues will not get the proper care, programs, medications, and support they need in prison. Prisons are not equipped to handle individuals with disabilities, behavioral health issues or severe psychological distress. New studies show a lot of homeless people entering prison daily.

These are things I think that are needed in the prison to assist in making the inmates more independent before they get out of prison. Prison is limiting them from taking care of themselves, but also our lives out here continue on, so does modern technology. And when they get out of prison these inmates have no idea how the world works anymore;

Better Educational programs
Better Jobs ($12.00 every two weeks is nothing)
Better Substance Abuse Programs
Computer Classes
Programs to learn a trade
Programs to buy pay bills, fill out an application and get everyday essential services like SRP, water, etc.
Counseling services
Computer programs like Excel, Quick-books, Word,
Behavioral Services
College courses
Not having inmates with short sentences with inmates with life sentences.
Not having inmates with non-violent crimes with inmates with violent crimes.
Outreach Programs
Programs to assist them in becoming more independent and preparing them to live on their own once they leave prison.

These are things that I think that are needed to assist outside of prison.

Better locations for half-way houses and sober living houses.
More Employers offering jobs
Better Substance Abuse Programs
More Housing Opportunities
Counseling Opportunities
Behavioral Health Services
Outreach Programs
Records concealed for non-violent offenses so that the inmate has a chance at employment and housing.
Stop arresting for parole violations.
Centers to assist them if needed when they first get out to assist them with employment, apartments, resources and referrals to behavioral health and substance abuse facilities.

There is a lot of money being wasted and spent on so called education programs and rehabilitation programs but ex-inmates are still be arrested over and over again. There is an extreme amount of money being spent on these programs and the return of inmates is at very high percentage.