NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: DRC Office of Communications
Thursday, February 24, 2011
(614) 752-1150
OHIO PRISON RECIDIVISM AT 11-YEAR LOW
COLUMBUS – The Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) today
announced its offender recidivism rate is at an 11- year low, with only 34
percent of inmates returning to prison after release. This milestone represents
significant progress in the agency’s overall mission to rehabilitate and prepare
inmates for productive life after incarceration. The previous recidivism rate
was 36.44 percent. The national recidivism rate averages around 50 percent,
according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.
“Our evidence-based programming, structured supervision, enhanced staff training
and community corrections partnerships are working,” said DRC Director Gary
Mohr. “However, we must continue to improve every aspect of our rehabilitative
approach to further drive down recidivism, and ensure those who enter our system
are given the opportunity to become productive members of society upon release.”
Recidivism is calculated on a three year time period. The current rate is based
on offenders released in 2007. During that time period, 7.29 percent of
offenders returned to prison on a technical violation of supervision or a
supervision sanction, while 26.73 percent returned on a new felony commitment.
DRC has taken great strides in attempting to reduce the number of offenders who
return to prison, both as a matter of public safety and fiscal responsibility.
A number of factors can be attributed to this success, including refined
reception procedures which provide better assessments and identification of
needs for new inmates, revised processes for assessing offender risk levels and
better targeting programming needs for offenders under the supervision of the
Adult Parole Authority. Other
contributing factors include a more structured system of sanctions for offenders
under supervision, staff training in offender case management and expanded use
of a variety of evidence based supervision practices and community diversion
alternatives to incarceration.
DRC protects and supports Ohioans by ensuring that adult felony offenders are
effectively supervised in environments that are safe, humane, and appropriately
secure.
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