Recidivism: Prison and Ex-offenders

The Argumentative Research Paper Melissa Walker (an acquaintance of the author) sits within the walls of her concrete cell at Fluvanna Correctional Center for Women (FCCW). Walker is making a contribution to this year’s recidivism rate. She was released from prison in 2008 after serving seven years of confinement. Sadly to say, this year she reoffended by stealing credit card information from her “Productive Citizenship” instructor. Her new charges are credit card theft, forgery, as well as probation violation. The price for Walker’s reoffending is incarceration until March, 2015. Wayne Luke, a retired probation officer with the Virginia Department of Corrections, says that the difference between successful and non-successful reentry is based on people, places, and things. Luke indicated that one of his ex-offenders who was incarcerated for a non-violent offense and was released in 2007 has been successful with reentry. This individual obtained employment immediately upon release, enrolled in a mental health program, and welcomed the support of family and friends. Much is being done to help ex-offenders overcome the barriers that complicate reentry into the community and develop into successful, productive citizens. Recidivism is a major problem because it is an indication that ex-offenders are not fully rehabilitated from their prior convictions. Recidivism is the term used for reoffending behavior. It is “the tendency for those who have been convicted once to reoffend” according to the New Oxford Companion to Law (Maruna). Kathryn J. Fox, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Vermont, indicates that “approximately 650,000 inmates will be released from correctional facilities this year and one third of those individuals will return within a three year period for probation violation or with new charges (336). In the State of Virginia, 28 percent of the 13,000 ex-offenders released from prison will return within a three-year period,