Posted by Scott Packard on Tue, Jan 05, 2010 @ 03:17 PM
Cory Booker, the Mayor of Newark, NJ, recently released a blog post about breaking the cycle of re-arrest and re-imprisonment in Newark. He acknowledges the need to not only reduce violence and criminal activity in Newark, but to also lessen the taxpayers money when it comes to arresting and detaining these offenders.
Mayor Booker highlights several programs (both bi-partisan by the way) that are helping fight recidivism in Newark and the state of New Jersey. One of the biggest programs is the Newark Prisoner Reentry Initiative (NPRI), which was made possible by the likes of the Manhattan Institute, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice, Nicholson Foundation, and Public/Private Ventures. This program also receives funding from the Labor Department.
NPRI assists qualified offenders with job searches and mentoring and training programs. The program has helped over 600 former offenders and pushed the one year recidivism rate to below 10%, a staggering feat.
Of course, it helps to have vested community partners to make programs such as NPRI work. For example, Newark's local Essex County College hosts a program called Opportunity Reconnect. Opportunity Reconnect is a one-stop reentry center for former offenders by providing government agencies located together on-site to provide access to services such as welfare, Medicaid, housing, health services and family reunification. Also on-site are education, workforce preparation and job placement workshops. Another community partner is ReLeSe, a pro bono group of lawyers that assist former convicts in regaining their driver's licenses.
All these programs are aimed at lowering recidivism and eliminating the cycle of criminality. The NPRI program is still in its incubation stages, but the early results look promising. It will be interesting to review the recidivism rates in five to ten years.
So another question to the readers. What programs exist in your facility to help combat recidivism? Does your community provide something similar to NPRI or anything else that helps former offenders reenter their daily lives?
Do you have any ideas that could help your or other facilities?
Leave a comment below and share your ideas and plans with the corrections community!