{"id":1274,"date":"2020-06-08T19:06:55","date_gmt":"2020-06-08T19:06:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/?p=1274"},"modified":"2023-08-10T13:08:49","modified_gmt":"2023-08-10T13:08:49","slug":"why-do-some-released-offenders-continue-to-commit-crimes-while-others-stay-clean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2020\/06\/08\/why-do-some-released-offenders-continue-to-commit-crimes-while-others-stay-clean\/","title":{"rendered":"Why Do Some Released Offenders Continue to Commit Crimes While Others Stay Clean?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>After being released from prison, the vast majority of offenders have difficulty staying on a law-abiding path. According to a 2018 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bjs.gov\/index.cfm?ty=pbdetail&#038;iid=6266\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">U.S. Bureau of Justice report<\/a>, approximately 68% of prisoners released from state prison in 2005 were arrested within three years, 79% within six years, and 83% within nine years. <\/p>\n<p>What accounts for this high recidivism rate? Studies indicate that numerous complex factors are at play, including overlapping economic, psychological, educational, and sociological issues. Let\u2019s take a brief look at the four most influential factors according to recent research.<\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mental_Health\"><\/span>Mental Health<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4><div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_65 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title \" >Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2020\/06\/08\/why-do-some-released-offenders-continue-to-commit-crimes-while-others-stay-clean\/#Mental_Health\" title=\"Mental Health\">Mental Health<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2020\/06\/08\/why-do-some-released-offenders-continue-to-commit-crimes-while-others-stay-clean\/#Substance_Abuse\" title=\"Substance Abuse\">Substance Abuse<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2020\/06\/08\/why-do-some-released-offenders-continue-to-commit-crimes-while-others-stay-clean\/#Unemployment\" title=\"Unemployment\">Unemployment<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/2020\/06\/08\/why-do-some-released-offenders-continue-to-commit-crimes-while-others-stay-clean\/#Lifestyle\" title=\"Lifestyle\">Lifestyle<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n\n<p>Numerous studies have demonstrated a link between mental illness and recidivism. For example, according to a recent study in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/science\/article\/pii\/S2352827319302228\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Population Health<\/a>, the healthier an offenders\u2019 mental state while in prison, the lower the recidivism rate after their release. Recidivism rates are <a href=\"http:\/\/jaapl.org\/content\/early\/2020\/02\/12\/JAAPL.003913-20\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">even higher<\/a> for people who suffer from both mental illness and substance abuse. <\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/nami.org\/Advocacy\/Policy-Priorities\/Divert-from-Justice-Involvement\/Jailing-People-with-Mental-Illness\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">National Alliance on Mental Illness<\/a> reports that many offenders with mental illnesses don\u2019t receive the treatment they need, whether in prison or following their release. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC4232131\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Some studies<\/a> have indicated that this failure to provide adequate treatment may well contribute to psychiatric problems and social isolation that lead to criminal acts.  <\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Substance_Abuse\"><\/span>Substance Abuse<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Released offenders who suffer from substance abuse problems are also more likely to slide back into criminal behavior, particularly if they receive inadequate treatment for their problem. According to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.apa.org\/research\/action\/aftercare\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">American Psychological Association<\/a>, several studies have revealed that offenders who receive treatment for drug abuse while in prison and afterward are more likely to stay out of jail and remain employed. <\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Unemployment\"><\/span>Unemployment<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Studies have also repeatedly indicated that unemployed released offenders at higher risk for recidivism. For example, a <a href=\"http:\/\/www.sascv.org\/ijcjs\/pdfs\/nallyetalijcjs2014vol9issue1.pdf\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">5-year study<\/a> by the Indiana Department of Corrections found that \u201can offender\u2019s education and post-release employment were significantly and statistically correlated with recidivism, regardless of the offender\u2019s classification.\u201d But mere employment is not enough to reduce recidivism rates\u2013<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC5669259\/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">research also shows <\/a>that offenders with a stable or high-quality job have the best chance of staying on the straight and narrow. <\/p>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Lifestyle\"><\/span>Lifestyle<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<p>Former offenders are also more likely to commit new offenses if they return to a social circle or lifestyle that has negative influences. A 2005 study in <a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0093854804270628?journalCode=cjbb\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Criminal Justice and Behavior<\/a> showed that prisoners who engaged in a \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/doi\/abs\/10.1177\/0093854804270628?journalCode=cjbb\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Lifestyle Change Program<\/a>\u201d after their release were significantly less likely to be arrested or incarcerated. However, this change is one of the most challenging to effectuate as most people have few other options except to return to those communities that they know after being released from prison.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After being released from prison, the vast majority of offenders have difficulty staying on a law-abiding path. According to a 2018 U.S. Bureau of Justice report, approximately 68% of prisoners released from state prison in 2005 were arrested within three years, 79% within six years, and 83% within nine years. What accounts for this high [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1274"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1274"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1274\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2869,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1274\/revisions\/2869"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawyersreadytofight.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}