It is easy to find examples of successful rehabilitation programs.
One example is the Second Chance program. It is a prison-based rehabilitation program that has shown dramatic results since its beginnings in 1995 working with the Department of Prisons for the State of Baja, California in the Mexican Government. I was especially impressed by this program because of its creative and holistic approach to rehabilitation.
There are six steps laid out as followed:
Drug Withdrawal and Rehabilitation -
* Drug-free Withdrawal
* Therapeutic Training Routines
* Body Detoxification
* Communication and Perception Course
Education -
* Literacy Tutoring
* Learning Improvement Course
Self-Respect & Criminal Rehabilitation -
* The Way to Happiness
* Rehabilitation of Self Respect
Life Skills -
* Ups and Downs in Life Course
* Personal Values and Integrity Course
* Conditions in Life Course
Job Training and Placement -
Community Crime Prevention Programs -
* Crime Prevention in Schools
When this program was used in the Ensenada Prison in Ensenada, Mexico, the results were astounding. During a 4 1/2 year period 1450 inmates participated and of those, 1006 were released. For those who took part in the initial rehabilitation steps the recidivism (a habitual relapse into crime - take note of this word, it will be used repeatedly) rate was less than 10%. For those who completed the entire three months of the program, the recidivism rate was dropped below 5%. Before the Second Change Program was instigated the recidivism rate for the Ensenada Prison was at 70%. The crime rate in the city of Ensenada itself dropped 55% and government sources attribute this entirely to the Second Chance Program.
These results cannot be overlooked. The Second Chance Program attacked the issue of prisoner rehabilitation from several angles. It dealt with roots issues to the problem of crime like drug use and lack of education. It empowered inmates to rejoin the community with a purpose and a skill. If the United States adopted a program such as this it would also be fiscally beneficial. By reducing the recidivism rate you would dramatically reduce the amount a criminals put in prison.
I would love to hear any reason as to why a program like this is not in the direction that the United States Justice System should be heading.
4 comments:
The Second Chance Program looks like a good alternative to normal prison for some. The problem I see is that a program like Second Chance does not work for everyone based on their conviction. If a person commits a repeat or a violent crime they cannot gain entry into the program. I would love to see the US penal system embracing this system, but it doesn’t seem ready to fit many larger applications.
This is a great example of an alternative prison. I think that we would all agree that in the end, outcomes like this are the most beneficial to the prisoners as well as the society they live in.
Sometimes, efforts like this are overlooked in the United Stated because they are doubtful of the outcome, but how can we know if they don't give it a try?
Volt-air:
You raise a very important argument. It is true that this program is specifically for those who committed nonviolent crimes but reducing the recidivism rate for these people is still very important. It is smart to have different programs for different crimes - it shows an understanding that different types of criminals will need different types of rehabilitation. I will try to find information on successful rehabilitation for violent crimes.
Petra:
I agree completely with your comment. Hopefully in my research I will find more about why the US Government has not put more money and time into researching these types of programs. I have heard that prison's are a large source of income for many small towns and I wonder if this plays a role. Hopefully the presidential candidates will have a plan for focusing our Justice System on rehabilitation.
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