Prisoner Reentry: Public Safety and Reintegration Challenges

TLDR

Recent sentencing reforms and reduced rehabilitation programs have strained the U.S. parole system, leaving about 700,000 parolees on the streets with limited services and conditions that almost ensure failure. The article reviews current parole practices, including sentencing policies and reentry program investment, and calls for a rethinking of discretionary parole release.

Abstract

Changes in sentencing practices, coupled with a decrease in prison rehabilitation programs, have placed new demands on the U.S. parole system. Nearly 700,000 parolees are “doing time” on the streets. Most have been released to a parole system that provides few services and imposes conditions that almost guarantee failure. This article examines the state of parole in today's corrections environment—from indeterminate and determinate sentencing policies to investing in prisoner reentry programs. Specifically, the article analyzes the following collateral consequences involved with recycling parolees in and out of families and communities: community cohesion and social disorganization, work and economic well-being, family matters, mental and physical health, political alienation, and housing and homelessness. The future of parole is also discussed, and the author urges a rethinking of discretionary parole release.