Prerelease Programs

Elizabeth Angiello

Prerelease programs help men and women prepare for life after prison. Former prisoners face many challenges upon reentry into community life, such as finding employment, reestablishing family relationships, resisting drug use and criminal behavior, and addressing mental and physical health problems. To help them deal with these issues, prerelease preparation generally includes vocational training, educational classes, mental health and drug treatment, and family skills training. The vast majority of inmates (97%) will be released back into society, but few have the skills to survive legally. Prerelease programming has not kept pace with the growth in incarceration and with the corresponding increase in the number of inmates released (nearly 600,000) each year. A significant number of those released are subsequently reincarcerated because they are ill prepared for reintegration. Among nearly 300,000 prisoners released in 15 states in 1994, 67.5% were rearrested within three years for a new offense; 51.8% were sent ...

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