Author(s)

Shaylin Daley

Major

Psychology

Minor(s)

Justice, Law, and Society

Advisor

Holley, Lisa

Advisor Department

Political Science

Date

5-2022

Keywords

Recidivism; Criminal Justice; Social Justice; Psychology; Prison Reform

Abstract

SHAYLIN DALEY (Psychology) Combating Recidivism Sponsor: Lisa Holley (Political Science) Many people believe that criminals cannot be helped. It is evident that at least some of society shuns people who break laws and have negative views about the amount of money spent on detaining inmates. Thousands of individuals are released from United States prisons a day. Many of these individuals have no plan in place for their return home and are sent into the streets with nothing except for a jail ID. Most of these people will end up returning to prison. A good sum of these people face problems such as addiction, mental illness, homelessness, and poverty. In addition, people with permanent criminal records face many barriers that affect their employment and housing eligibility. Today there are more programs to help people who have entered the criminal justice system. This project will explore the different programs implemented to combat recidivism, and their effectiveness in turning habitual offenders into valuable members of society. I also interview various people, some who are directly involved with the criminal justice system, treatment and re-entry programs, former offenders who have been through the system and turned their lives around, and court staff. I finished with a personal reflection on how society should work to shift their perspective on criminal offenders and work to help lead offenders in the direction of success.

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