“[The] vast prison-industrial complex has succeeded in reducing crime but is a blunt instrument,” National Review columnist Rich Lowry writes in a recent online article. “Prison stays often constitute a graduate seminar in crime, and at the very least, the system does a poor job preparing prisoners to return to the real world.”
The numbers back up Mr. Lowry’s assertion. Despite costs of about $60 billion to house 2 million inmates, the system has proven largely inadequate in effectively reforming the 95 percent of those inmates who are ultimately released. Roughly 40 percent of those inmates who leave prison are rearrested withn three years. “[W]hen it comes to inculcating habits that might make prisoners decent citizens,” Lowry says, “prison should be more prescriptive, rather than less.”
So what is the answer to reducing recidivism rates and preparing inmates? Lowry suggests it much of it comes down to establishing societal norms for inmates while still in prison. This would include fostering a work ethic through work programs that reward prisoners for hard work and diligence, drug and alcohol dependency treatment, and encouraging faith-based programming and mentoring that continues after release. (He lifts up Prison Fellowship as a model for other faith-based organizations.)
Lowry lifts up the state of Texas as an example for other corrections systems to follow. A state that is usually identified as taking a “tough on crime” approach has actually managed to reduce both the incarceration rate and the the crime rate in the state by implementing in-prison programs like Lowry suggests, as well as alternatives to incarceration for some non-violent offenders and aggressive parole supervision for those who have left prison.
“We have proved in the past several decades that we can lock a lot of people up,” says Lowry. “The challenge now is if we can do it more humanely and intelligently and, ultimately, create less work for the prison-industrial complex.”
Prison Fellowship is proud to be a part of the solution. Through in-prison programs, Prison Fellowship helps to train inmates for a life outside of prison. Through Angel Tree, prisoners are reconnected to their families and encouraged to take their roles as spouse and parent seriously. And mentoring and reentry programs help ensure that those individuals who leave prison stay out, and that they become vital parts of their families, communities, and churches.
To learn more about how you can be a part of the solution, visit https://www.prisonfellowship.org/get-involved.