Criminal Justice

What factors do you believe impact successful reentry the most? You must use evidence from your resources or outside resources to support your position. Remember you must have an introduction, body and a conclusion. A link is posted below along with an attachment.

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/recidivism_and_reentry/

ANSWER

Factors That Impact Successful Reentry

After imprisonment, prisons remove the support networks that prisoners once had. This greatly impacts their successful reentry into society. In many situations reentry has been linked to limited connections with the world which has become problematic to their re-entry. Most of the ex-prisoners have been unable to make a successful transition and eventually get back to prison (Phillips and Spencer, 2013). This is because once released they receive inadequate assistance, support as well as limited resources. Social-economic factors have greatly influenced the successful reentry of prisoners.

Socioeconomic factors include education, income, social support, community safety, and employment (Zhang et al., 2019). For instance, former prisoners have encountered policies that have limited their education and housing options. Some students or renters are required to disclose their criminal history which decreases the chances of the former prisoner from getting access to education or rent home.

Ex-offenders are facing challenges in succeeding in the job market in terms of employment and labor supply (Gunnison and Helfgott, 2011). For instance, on the demand side, most employers prefer ex-offenders rather than legally hiring an individual with a criminal history for some tasks. On the supply side, the former prisoners have lower education as well as less work experience as compared to non-offenders with valuable skills and experience. There is a huge gap in terms of skills and experience which impact the employment opportunities for former prisoners.

Ex-convicts have also encountered anti-social relationships which have led to barriers such as legal barriers, stigma linked to a criminal record, and criminal attitudes (Li, 2018). The personality and attitudes of family, friends, and society have led to poor social interactions. This is because the community ties an individual with a past criminal history.

Conclusion

In conclusion, former prisoners have faced challenges linked to socioeconomic factors while re-entering the communities. Former offenders often directly encounter legal forms of discrimination, unemployment, educational access, housing, and denied participation in civic duties. Unsuccessful re-entry of ex-offenders has negatively impacted individuals, families, and communities.

References

Gunnison, E., & Helfgott, J. B. (2011). Factors that hinder offender reentry success: A view from community corrections officers. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 55(2), 287-304.

Li, M. (2018). From prisons to communities: Confronting re-entry challenges and social inequality. The SES Indicator (American Psychological Association, 11(1).

Phillips, L. A., & Spencer, W. M. (2013). The Challenges of Reentry from Prison to Society. Journal of Current Issues in Crime, Law & Law Enforcement, 6(2).

Zhang, R., Srinivasan, S., Kambath, A., Nnadi, V., Price-Tucker, A., Zhou, A., … & Gu, J. (2019). Successful Reentry: A Community-Level Analysis.