The Pros And Cons Of Prison Recidivism

The textbook defines recidivism as released inmates retuning to illegal activity. Recidivism is important because 93% of all inmates will eventually be released from prison. A 2009 study of 37 states, revealed that the recidivism rate for males was 37.6% and 29.3% for females (Bohm & Haley, 2012). These numbers beg the question of what is the true goal of our prison system. Critics have debated these questions for years. Should the goal be to rehabilitate or simply incarcerate those who have committed crimes against society? Can the prison system actually achieve the goal of rehabilitation? Do released inmates have the social skills, behavioral skills, and support systems to be productive members of society? These complexed questions are a source of strong debate.
A third felony conviction usually brings a sentence of life in prison, without the possibility of parole. These laws are commonly known as “three strikes laws”. The positive aspects about the three strikes law is that it takes habitual criminals off the street. These individual have shown a propensity to commit felony offenses. Removing these individual from society, protects citizens against future crimes they could commit. The negative aspect of the three strike law is that the prison population will continue to swell. The United States has the highest prison population in the world. A 2009 study revealed that the prison population was 1,613,740 (Bohm & Haley, 2012). The three strikes law only adds to what is an already overcrowded prison system. Society also pays a cost for the overcrowded prison system. In 2010 our prison system had a total cost of 45 billion dollars (Bohm & Haley,