Lowering Offender Recidivism Rate through Counseling
In my paper on lowering the offender recidivism rate through counseling, I will cover all the different aspects of which areas offenders should be counseled in order to improve success outside of prison walls. If counselors can pinpoint exactly what made these men and women unsuccessful in their communities before prison we can help current offenders become positive attributes to neighborhoods. Offenders can be rehabilitated enough to enter the world and remain crime free by education, real world experiences and caring individuals who want to see these ex-felons thriving.
The first plan of action in helping offenders flourish is a first rate education. Majority of the time offenders do not have above and eight grade education. This causes minimal opportunities for careers which usually creates major financial problems. These individuals then might get into selling drugs for a quick dollar. I realize the argument that some jobs do accept low educated people and they make wise decisions but we have no idea the reasons for some people not finishing school.
One degree of education offering both basic high school and college courses for individuals interested. The offender being interested in an education is the most important aspect in making this counseling work. If they are not motivated they will not succeed. “According to statistics from the Indiana Department of Correction's Planning & Research Division, the overall recidivism rate for Indiana in 2002 was 39.3 percent. For those offenders who received a time cut for achieving an associate's degree, however, the recidivism rate in 2002 was 18.4 percent. For those who earned a bachelor's degree, it was 18 percent.” (Spanuello, 2007) This proves that educated offenders are half as like to return to prison. The better education received the less crime committed.
Another form of education is real world education. I believe trade...