A Long Way To Go
News Journal, Perspective
Daniel J. O'Connell

Every year, approximately 650,000 people nationally return home to communities after serving state prison sentences. What happens to them is of importance to policymakers and law enforcement agencies, but mostly to those of us who will be their new neighbors.

To begin a dialogue about prisoner re-entry, it is useful to survey what we know. And while we know a lot, there is still a lot to learn.

Sadly, the majority of those released from prison will be rearrested within three years. And a quarter of them will be back in prison for a new crime. One should not forget this fact, nor the associated damage to communities that these statistics represent.

This does not mean, however, that "once a crook, always a crook." In fact, almost everyone who engages in crime stops at some point. People tend to drift in and out of crime. People go through periods where they are committing no crime at all, then relapse back into old behavior. Research has shown that changes are often tied to drug use.

Not many people re-enter the community actively committing crimes or using drugs. They might do so the day they get out, but they walk out the prison door crime-free. The trick is encouraging them to stay that way.

Consider the age distribution of crime. Most of those arrested are under 30 years old. As people move out of their crimeprone years, new people enter their volatile teens and 20s. Someone might be arrested numerous times during those years, then become law-abiding as he gets older. This leads to the conclusion that desistence is the norm.

Understanding this is important, because facilitating desistence upon community re-entry encourages a normal activity.

What leads people to desist from committing crime has been the subject of much research and debate in recent years. Some things are known. People who find meaningful employment or relationships after release from prison are less likely to reoffend than those who do not. Those who complete college programs or certain types of drug treatment while in prison are less likely to reoffend. And those who are involved in educational programs after release are less likely to reoffend. It appears that engagement in social activity is of vital importance.

It is not simply having a job, being married or attending a program that leads to success upon community re-entry. Scholars disagree on the exact process, but increasingly focus on changes in people's identities as they become part of social functions. Having a meaningful job can lead to adapting to being a carpenter, driver, salesperson or manager, just as becoming involved in lasting relationships or parenthood can lead to identifying as a husband, wife, father or mother.

While these changes may seem routine to most people, those coming out of prison wear the label of convict, criminal, drug addict or worse. Before people will stop committing crimes, they have to stop thinking of themselves as criminals.

The problem with negative labels is that, no matter how well deserved, they make it difficult to obtain those roles that lead to new identities. Nor can we force people into them.

We cannot sentence people to marriage, nor force private employers to hire ex-offenders.

Some have suggested that employment, relationships and the like can be viewed as "hooks for change" in the community. According to professor Peggy Giordano and her colleagues, four things are required for a hook to be effective. They must be available. There must be jobs, educational opportunities or spouses in the community to alter inmates' lives.

Second, the person must desire the hook. Some people do not wish to work or find relationships, and some are not ready to attempt change.

Third, the person must be able to acquire the hook. If people are unable to do jobs, or are unattractive as spouses, they do not do much good.

Finally, once a hook is acquired, it must be seen as life- changing. A part-time or temporary job, while useful, is not likely to change someone's perception of himself from drug dealer to working person. But a job in an electrician's shop might lead someone to start thinking like an electrician.=

Unfortunately, being a convicted felon makes it difficult to obtain employment, and being freshly released from prison does not make one prime material for long-lasting relationships. Those re-entering the community from prison are exactly the type of people who do not have access to identity-changing situations. But knowing something about the process is a start.

It may not be that jobs and strong relationships lead to less crime, but rather that people who reduce their involvement in crime are more likely to become involved with jobs and relationships. Research to date is mixed. At a certain level it should not matter. Encouraging people to find employment, continue education and maintain healthy relationships should be a social goal anyway.

Another area that is not well understood is why some people change and desist sooner than others. Some people stop offending in their teens, while others continue into middle age. Determining what causes some people to desist after one prison term and others after five might facilitate re-entry processes that encourage change.

Some programs attempt to pull people away from crime through treatment programs, job placement and transitional housing. Other programs attempt to push people away from crime. These include law enforcement efforts, corrections, parole and probation services. These programs are designed to make the cost of crime higher.

It is unreasonable to assume that people will seek new identities unless we make their current behavior problematic. It is best to think of treatment and law enforcement as opposite sides to the same coin.

Daniel J. O'Connell is associate scientist at the University of Delaware Center for Drug and Alcohol Studies.