Recidivism In Prisons

The documentary, The Released, described the challenges those with mental illness face when they are released from prison. In most cases, the inmates were unable to break the cycle of recidivism. The high rate of recidivism within the mentally ill prison population is caused by different factors. One factor that contributes to the high rate is a lack of support, which as a result, may lead to an increased chance of a relapse. Also, the challenge of reintegrating back into the world can be even more difficult due to the person’s mental illness. Once the offenders are released, they face extra obstacles of trying to find a place to leave and a job. All of these factors, together, cause the high recidivism rate for mentally ill offenders.
In the documentary, one of the professionals interviewed talked about how it may easier for some inmates to live in prisons than it is for them to reintegrate. Two of the major challenges that most inmates, especially the mentally ill, face are homelessness and joblessness. After they are released from prison, many inmates find it hard to get past the stigma associated with being a convicted felon. When you combine this challenge, with the fact that some of these inmates face mental health issues, you can see why recidivism rates are high. Most of the inmates in the documentary, such as Lynn Moore, Keith Williams and Bennie Anthony were all arrested again within a few months of their release from prison. The main contributing factor, from my perspective, is how they transitioned back into to society. These men did not transition into environments or programs that were best suited to help them get out of the cycle of recidivism. On the other hand, William Stokes was in a situation in which he was able to get the proper treatment and aftercare facility that enabled him to succeed months after he had been