Specialty Court Recidivism

Being incarcerated is one of the worst things that anyone must go through, it can tear you down physically and mental. People who been incarcerated especially for a long period can come out mentally unable to function in outside life. However, what would happen if you have mental health or substance abuse issues and been in prison. The risk of going back into prison after being released have increase dramatically, and if this problem is left unsolved then it increases the risk of recidivism. This problem will continue to be a cycle if nothing is done. The purpose of this literature review is to investigate methods for decrease recidivism among formerly jailed population who have mental illness or substance abuse problems. This literature review

“In a sample of 245 program participants and 137 comparison offenders, the average number of rearrests for treatment participants was substantially lower than that of comparison

The first group consisted of offenders who participated in an MMT program while incarcerated. The Non-MMT group consisted of offenders that had at least one positive urinalysis test that contained traces of opiates and who were classified as having a drug addiction. The study found that those who participated in the MMT program reoffended at a lower rate rather than those who did not participate in MMT. Non-MMT offenders were more likely to receive a violation to abstain from alcohol at 9% versus MMT participants at 2%. The readmission rate was 29% for MMT participants compared to 44% for Non-MMT offenders.

Over the past two decades, drug treatment courts have gained traction as popular alternatives to the conventional war on drugs and to its one-dimensional focus on incarceration. Specifically, the courts are meant to divert addicts from jails and prisons and into coerced treatment. Under the typical model, a drug offender enters a guilty plea and is enrolled in a long-term outpatient treatment program that is supervised closely by the drug court. If the offender completes treatment, his plea is withdrawn and the underlying charges are dismissed. But, if he fails, he receives an alternative termination sentence.

During the 1970s and 1980s, the use of illegal drugs was growing; which undertook a war on drugs. As of June 2001, there were a total of 697 drug court programs, serving around 226,000 offenders and another 427 programs being planned (Office of Justice Programs, 2001). The drug court can be seen as a social movement to crack down on drugs. Although the drug court model continues to evolve, there are some key components. Some of these key components are, a non adversarial approach that emphasizes teamwork; eligible participants are defined early and promptly placed in the drug court program; and abstinence is monitored by frequent alcohol and drug testing, and so on.

If women received the extensive treatment regarding their drug use and mental health issues, the likelihood of them reentering would be much lower. This can be the reason for drug courts to be so effective for those women battling drug addiction. The increasingly high number of individuals being arrested for drug related crimes is costing the state and government a huge portion of money. This money goes towards housing and engaging women offenders in the few treatment programs offered with little effective outcome. Drug court programs are not only highly effective, but they are cost efficient as well.

By diverting low level, non-violent offenders from incarceration and into treatment have proven successful in reducing not only the incarceration rate but the recidivism rate as well. For example, individuals with mental illness can be diverted from incarceration to mental health treatment and those with substance abuse issues can also be diverted accordingly. While there are two points that interception can occur: First contact with law enforcement and during initial court proceedings, I will focus on those related to

Khiaiya Jaggie In Dr. Ed Latessa speech on effective correctional intervention, What Works and What Doesn’t in Reducing Recidivism: Designing More Effective Reentry Programs, he synthesizes research to conclude an evidence based discussion about trends in the corrections system. He addresses what works and also addresses many different points of views such as how to reduce recidivism in the correct way and also how to not reduce recidivism in a correct way. Latessa admits that yes, some rehabilitation efforts to reduce recidivism can be effective but it is not a “one size fits all” deal.

According to OJP’s Bureau of Justice Statistics (2010), there are more than 2.3 million people incarcerated in the United States. Ninety-five percent of all people incarcerated today will eventually be released and will return to their communities. The majority of those individuals returning have needs that were either unaddressed while incarcerated or during the reentry process, which will negatively impact their ability to live a crime free productive life while in the community. When released from prison, inmates face a myriad of challenges such as finding stable housing, maintaining employment, combating substance abuse, and addressing physical and mental health needs. However, the majority of offenders once released do not receive the

The therapeutic communities in a women correctional setting have been shown to reduce substance use and recidivism. The lack of evidence, prisons and community correctional settings across the country continue to introduce new TC programs for women. The modify therapeutic communities group had a significantly lower likelihood of alcohol or drug use 12-months post-prison release as compared to a control group. The majority of women are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses and pose little or no danger to society (Eliason, M.J.2006). The TC tools can be powerful calls for accountability and acknowledging one's negative behaviors can be helpful. The therapeutic communities approach is holistic and curative, rather than punitive. The therapeutic communities promote the values which sustain recovery, and is the goal of treatment.

These offenders will face difficulties re¬connecting with jobs, housing, and perhaps their families when they return, and will remain beset by substance abuse and health problems. Based on data from the national Arrestee Drug Abuse Monitoring (ADAM) program, “nearly 80% of arrestees admitted to the Jail in 2012 were positive for an illegal drug. Of all the people admitted to the jail nearly half did not have a high school diploma or GED.” (Recidivism Reduction Demonstration, Web). Unfortunately most of these individuals will return to prison as a result of the social disadvantages that they are accustomed to.

1. Of the various goals of sentencing, which one do you favor? Why? Explain the disposition suitable to your choice.

The concept of ‘recidivism’ is central to understanding the criminal justice system. Recidivism occurs when a person commits a crime again despite having been punished before. One of the main goals of the criminal justice system is to reduce recidivism but in fact longer sentences may increase the probability of recidivism (Griffiths & Cunningham, 2000). One reason is that the climate within a prison is not helpful to the inmate in making personal changes that can lead to reduced recidivism. However, psychologists are trying to develop intervention programmes that in fact lead to such personal changes so as to reduce recidivism.

In contrast, stricter policy reforms were implemented into the courts due to the reflective increase in use of illegal substance among offenders. Moreover, the increase in violence and drugs among offenders enhanced stricter policy reforms, for more than 78.7% percent of offenders have used illegal drugs, which is three-fourth’s of the incarcerated population. Also, 62.2% percent of convicted drug offenders meet the diagnostic criteria of drug abuse or dependence that accumulates to be two-thirds of the populations, while 64.3% percent of offenders used an illegal substance regularly. In addition, convicted offenders have a high rate of 56.7% percent in committing recidivism, for Mark Harmon author of "Fixed ' Sentencing: The Effect On Imprisonment

So forty years after the drug war was first declared, it still goes on, normalized by the commentary in media, and stereotypes assigned to those who serve time in correctional facilities. Though the argument here isn’t whether or not drug offenses should be punish, but if long prison sentencing for small amounts of drugs is the correct way to fight this war. Clearly, even after all these years, our society is a long shot from the drug free America Regan envisioned, but the disparities proves that the drug laws punish based on class and status. It would seem that the correct way to fight would be mass rehabilitation, rather than incarceration. Rather than spending trillions to round up drug offenders, and punish them alongside criminals convicted for more violent crimes,