The Relationship Between Parole and Recidivism in the Criminal Justice System

From 1990 to 1999 the criminal justice system experienced a fifty percent increase in the inmate population, which included recidivated parolees. Critics claimed the parole process was not working and lobbied legislature to take action. The system responded by decreasing parole agency budgets, increasing prison sentences, and reducing rehabilitation services for paroled inmates. Research pertaining to parole and recidivism indicates two variables: there is or isn't a direct association. The objective of this study is to compare the data and decide if parole is a viable solution for decreasing recidivism rates. Introduction In July 1965, President Lyndon Johnson appointed the National Crime Commission to make the most comprehensive study of crime in the history of our country at that time. This report took over two years to develop and when completed, it so frequently referred to all the components involved (law enforcement, judicial, and correctional) as the " system " that it created the concept of a criminal justice system. The report, The challenge of crime in a free society, gave us an exceptional insight into the nature of crime and criminal justice in America. Also outlined in the report was the basic sequence of events in the criminal justice process. It also illustrated that relationships between the police, courts, and corrections are interrelated and interdependent. The report included a reference to the importance of and need for a far broader, and more profound, range of treatment. The challenge of crime in a free society was considered, at that time, the blueprint for building a successful crime prevention system. Even though it suggested that the need was for all ages, it insisted treatment was especially crucial for the young. President Johnson' s report explained that the generation of teenagers during that time was the largest in U.S. history, and he foresaw a rise in juvenile delinquency in the decade to follow unless drastic changes were implemented in the effectiveness of the criminal justice system, as well as in economic and social conditions of the United States. One specific component in the report that caught my attention was recidivism of offenders on parole. The report stated that many offenders, the young most of all, stood a better chance of being rehabilitated in their home communities, rather than in ordinary confinement. Included in the report were the findings of a study completed by the California Youth Authority. This