A few years ago, I put together a recidivism map that showed re-incarceration rates in Indiana counties were between 30 and 50 percent, using source data from the Indiana Department of Correction (IDOC). But after learning that IDOC only counts Indiana prison inmates who are re-incarcerated in an Indiana prison, it became obvious why the recidivism figures here were drastically lower than rates across the country.
People who came out of prison in Indiana but were incarcerated later in a county jail or another state are not counted. People move around. A lot, and, there are zero records for recidivism between county jails. So some people are jailed again and again and there is no data available.
The Congressional Research Service, Brookings.edu, and the United States Sentencing Commission have studied more than 32,000 recidivists by reading and recording their individual criminal records, which is far more accurate than other methods. Their findings revealed recidivism rates are actually around 77 percent. Bottom Line: We don't really know the actual rates of recidivism in Indiana. I would guess they are off by 20 or 30 percent, largely due to the lack of data available from other states and county jails.
So here we are, with 43,875 people incarcerated in our county jails and state prisons. Seventy-three percent are white, and 24 percent are black, and the female population is way up over the decades. It is easy to throw numbers around, but these are flesh and blood men and women who deserve a chance, and once a sentence is served it is incumbent on society to do all it can to bring about a successful reentry—or pay the price in higher crime rates and costs to taxpayers.
Every one of these studies say:
- Reducing recidivism is critical for community safety.
- Providing rehabilitation and skill development for those before and after reentry is crucial to success.
- Successful reentry strengthens households and the overall economy.
Meanwhile, the cost of incarceration for Indiana taxpayers continues to rise. For 2023 the bill will be about $842,531,625, and this figure does not include the costs of probation services, Community Correction oversight, medical services to inmates, and many administration costs, etc. It is suggested that Indiana taxpayers' actual incarceration cost is closer to or more than $1 billion.
The studies that reported the 77 percent recidivism rate also revealed that recidivism is highest right after release, with 43 percent being re-incarcerated during the first year. Yet the Manhattan Institute study showed a remarkable 90 percent decline in recidivism when a reentrant gets a good-paying job soon after release.
Violent crime here is high, and children of prisoners are FIVE times more likely to be incarcerated themselves, so we are multiplying the number of prospective prisoners with every generation. But we can change the future by mentoring and providing job training for reentrants. We can stop the revolving door of incarceration by helping them to get good paying jobs, and by taking reentrants to and from job sites when they need it, for as long as they need it. Cars are expensive.
The success stories are legion. But, perhaps the most important outcome is that the children of working reentrants can witness and develop a map of employment that provides a real economic foundation, replacing the difficulty of living on public assistance. With a working parent, children have better access to health care, educational options, and improved food security, all of which contributes directly to the formation of a better and safer society. All this is possible as we make strides to lower the crime rate and inmate population through the dignity of work and by giving folks a hand up during the tough job of reentry.
Together we can do it,
Nancy
