Why is parole unsuccessful?

Question

i need to know why are some reasons that the recidivism rate has gone up to 70%? which probably means that parole isn't successful... i need a few ideas...

Answer 1

Imagine this you're fresh out of jail ready to change your ways and get on the right track but you go back home to your little h**l hole.  With your criminal friends and criminal atmosphere.  Not such a good place for someone to clean up their act.

So you try to make the best of it and tell your friends you are no loner the person you once were.  Well, that doesn't go over to well with them and you are now labeled as a Narc.  

Ok then, you can make new friends at your new job... but no one will hire a guy in his mid 20s who's out on parole.  No need to take that risk when they can get your buddy who hasn't been caught yet or just got off of parole, he's "cleaned" up his act.

So lets see you live in your crappy apartment, with no friends, no job, and are probably going broke.  Not to mention if you were a druggie, you'd likely be jonsen for that high right about now.  

No option left you go back to your life of crime believing you're only going to do this till you get back on your feet but it's been a year or more and there is no reason to stop what you're doing now.  Since well you keep making the cash like you are now or get a crappy minimum wage job... yeah it'll definitely be more logical to stick with the crime.  I mean there is no way you'll get caught again...

Answer 2

Most parole officers have over 100-200 clients. They cant even fit them all in for office visits yet alone check them at home. And if they do violate most law enforcement agencies are so backed up wit active warrants it is almost imposible to serve.

Answer 3

Not only answer but here are some reasons I've seen written about.  

People who have been in prison, have already gone through their chances (we'll let you off with a warning, we'll let you off with just probation, we'll let you off with 30 days), so they have already moved up the scale into being hardened criminals.

People go into prison with fairly minor offenses and are surrounded by hardened criminals and are simply learning how to hone their crimes - a petty thief goes in and comes out with contacts who are armed robbers.

Prisons are simply housing people, not rehabilitating them.

People come out with overworked/overburdened probation officers who simply keep track of them without offering a support sytem.

Lack of community support system.

People come out wanting to do right, but their record prevents them from being employed, etc. and they simply need $ to live.

The prison record is a constant reminder - you can't get a job because you're a criminal, you can't rent a home because you're a criminal....instead of being able to move on, who they are in society's eyes is reinforced daily until....what's the point?

Because of the lack of funds, they may live in low income neighborhoods and be exposed to a constant temptation to do something illegal.  Others say, perhaps it's not increased crime but the increased presence of police arresting people for things that police wouldn't see if they weren't always there - a fight in an upper class neighbor goes unnoticed but in a lower class neighborhood the police are right there and arrest someone.

Answer 4

First of all you are starting out with mostly hardcore criminals.  Missing female companionship, the biggest, toughest, meanest criminals get together and anally gang rape the weaker criminals.  The weaker ones are in the majority but cannot successfully prevent this from happening.  The guards usually pay little or no attention to this since to them it's only some people whom they despise hurting other people whom they despise.  These gang rapes can last for hours and the victims come out of prison looking for revenge on someone.  That, of course, is the public.  Meanwhile, when the the first group, the big, tough, mean rapists get out they prey on everybody.  As a result the recidivism rate is very high.

The worst part is that the recidivism rate for child molesters is 98%.  They are put on drugs to keep their testosterone levels down, but when they get out of prison they stop taking the drugs.  Any decent human being would say that they should never get out since many of them will molest hundreds of children before they are recaptured.  But since they are not executed or sentenced to life without chance of parole they do get out.  IMO letting them out is horrible.  These people, almost always men, are very clever at trapping children, using a variety of techniques to lure them away from safety.

Since most of these recidivists are not employable, they quickly turn to crime to support themselves, only after a stint in jail they are much more likely to kill possible witnesses.  The prisoners who are paroled come out far worse than they came in.  That's sad but true.

Answer 5

It's the people that are paroled. Prison's are not successful ether. In fact the entire system is a joke. In order to go to prison you must first be convicted many times. This is especially true in drug cases. After years being convicted multiply times there is no real deterrent. It also always surprised me how many people feel that prison is just fine with them. I always heard, "hey, three squares and a cot".They don't pay taxes, work or have the real responsibilities that we have. We support them.

Answer 6

most parolees do not want to change the lifestyle that got them into prison to begin with. the few who do want to change don't have the resources or they give up.most are there for something to do with drugs. and for me as a recovering addict, it was hard to get out of jail and try to start a normal life without the chaos of the drug lifestyle. i finally came to a point where i just did not want it and could not do it anymore.so...it is not that the parole office is doing anything wrong, it is the people on it.hope this helps

Answer 7

Nobody wants to trust a parolee. Employers are very hesitant to hire them.

They are paroled out into the very social climate that enabled their  crime. especially drugs.

There are not enough parole officers to provide adequate supervision. Case loads are enormous.

Counseling and follow up is virtually non existant.

There is a liberal attitude  in todays society that criminal activity is the fault of society, not the offender.