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Reentry: the act of entering again; of going back to a prior location; return.
Recidivism: is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior, or have been treated or trained to extinguish that behavior. It is also known as the percentage of former prisoners who are rearrested
Did you know that:
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1,613,740 people are in prison and over 7,200,000 people are under correctional supervising*?
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95%+ of those in prison will be released?
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7 of 10 people in prison will return to prison after they are released*.
* within 3 years, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics
Walking away from prison and successfully returning to families and communities is just the first step in re-starting a former felon’s life. Most are faced with overwhelming challenges ranging from finding employment and securing housing to paying restitution or fines, and developing and restoring relationships. Central to all of that, and too often overlooked, is developing and sustaining self-confidence and a positive outlook.
Leaving prison and rejoining society is one of the hardest transitions a person can make. How can we expect former felons to change and learn from their mistakes without the opportunity to do so? With the right tools and the right attitude, they can feel empowered, important and ready to join the workforce and community. Everyone who reenters society deserves a Fair Shake.
Look for these reentry tools on our website:
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Recidivism information from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics
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In our Information Center:
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Multimedia page: Video, audio and print stories
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News page: New stories every week!
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Facts page: Information about reentry and crime
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Statistics page: All manor of crimal justice statistics
Culture Shock sample:
We expect former inmates to get right back into the swing of things when they are released.
We assume they are ready, that just serving time is enough to consider the impact of their crime and make plans for reentry success. But do those of us outside of prison really understand the challenges of prison life, and the difficulties faced in adjusting from being incarcerated to rejoining society? Life in prison, in many ways, functions opposite to life on the outside.
To appreciate some of the cultural challenges a newly released prisoner has, consider just a few of the examples from our Culture Shock page Here
Proceed With Caution sample:
An important step for successful reentry is building relationships, but former felons have an extra difficult hurdle here.The difference between prison relationships and making friends in society is pretty extreme! With extra understanding on both sides, however, we can all help smooth out the transition by recognizing and addressing challenges.
Former felons and people who have never been to prison will understandably struggle with offering trust to each other. Some people will want to try to build a relationship with a former felon and find they just can’t. Their fear is too strong, and everyone must respect that. But for most people, starting a relationship with a former felon - whether socially or at work – is like any other relationship.
We learn about others while we learn about ourselves. As in our other relationships, trust is created little by little as we become more comfortable with ourselves, with the other person, and the environment we share when we meet.
Check out a sample Here
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