Wilmington Police arrest an average of 13,000 people a year, with the majority of these arrests resulting in convictions and prison sentences.

Many people hold the erroneous belief that arresting criminals reduces crime by the simple fact that offenders are physically removed from city streets. However, this solution is only temporary. Approximately 75 percent of people who are arrested in Wilmington and serve time in prison eventually return to the city upon release.

It is wrong to assume the city can arrest its way out of crime problems. Rather, one needs to take a hard look at the root causes of crime.

Wilmington faces two serious obstacles as it works to effectively reduce crime: lack of re-entry programming and a paucity of early-childhood education programs, which teach youth to avoid criminal behavior in the first place while at the same time instilling a life-long love of learning.

Like the vast majority of cities across the United States, Wilmington suffers from the absence of resources aimed at helping convicted felons transition from prisoner to being productive members of society. Many adjudicated criminals do not wish to continue a life of crime. Most of them have sincere interest in reforming their lives and rejoining their communities. But a newly released inmate faces monumental obstacles upon leaving prison.

There are currently more than 2,000 people living in Wilmington who are on probation. Countless inmates have no place to go following release. Their families may not want them around, leaving ex-convicts essentially homeless. Those lucky enough to have some place to go still face the daunting task of finding jobs to support themselves.

A criminal record is a heavy burden to bear in Delaware, where individuals with a criminal conviction must wait five years before they can apply to have their records expunged. In the meantime, the stigma of a criminal record severely hampers employment prospects.

Crime and lack of education are intrinsically linked. With a drop-out rate up to 65 percent among youth, is it any surprise that so many inmates lack education or skills necessary to find work -- especially when more than 80 percent of all jobs today require technical skills? Drop-outs are often cannon fodder for crime; 72 percent of them do not have jobs.

With no place to live, no money, no support from family or friends, no prospect for employment, possible untreated addictions and little education, what hope exists for these individuals? Such grim prospects lead to feelings of bitterness and helplessness.

While everyone deserves a second chance, the reality is that little thought is given to what happens to prisoners once their sentences are served. Sixty percent of released inmates are re-incarcerated. Without effective re-entry resources, it is extremely difficult for an ex-convict to break the cycle of criminal behavior.

All individuals are responsible for their actions and must be held accountable. But we must address how to keep people from going to prison in the first place, as well as have programs to help people coming out of prison who are looking for a clean start.

Unless we help newly released prisoners to re-enter society, we will see no substantial break in the cycle of crime. Our legacy will continue to be broken individuals, broken families, and ultimately a broken society.

James M. Baker is the mayor of Wilmington.