Study suggests help after prison
Ex-inmates need aid to keep from relapsing, it says

Criminals returning to their communities in Illinois need mandatory drug treatment, education and employment services to keep them from slipping back into crime, according to a new study.

A report prepared for the Developing Justice Coalition, a pool of grass-roots community organizations in Chicago, reviewed trends around the country and identified programs that have shown success in reducing recidivism, or relapses into crime by former prisoners.

Patricia Watkins, a community leader who convened the coalition, said it's a "recipe for disaster" when ex-inmates return to their neighborhoods with little aid or direction.

"We've got to do something," Watkins said. "We've got to figure out what works."

The study, conducted for the coalition by the Center for Impact Research, found that education, drug-treatment programs and employment services have been successful in some states.

Titled "Current Strategies for Reducing Recidivism," the document is to be presented Tuesday at the Chicago conference of the American Correctional Association.

The report cites New York's Community and Law Enforcement Resources Together program, which has job training and placement for parolees among its concentrations.

The recidivism rate in the New York program is 17 percent, the report stated, compared with 41 percent for those not involved.

According to the report's recommendations, the three strategies could be effective in Chicago and statewide.

"Treatment for substance abuse or mental illness can help remove barriers that prevent employment and integration," the document stated.

"Education provides the skills necessary for inmates to obtain the types of jobs that lead to more successful outcomes, and employment provides released inmates an income as well as supporting integration by increasing stability and self-confidence," the report said.

Successful programs across the country should be evaluated and replicated, it said.

When those just out of correctional institutions commit more crimes, it's the community that pays, Watkins said.

"We're trying to help our legislators understand what can be done to reduce crime in our neighborhoods," she said.