Criminology

The United States spends huge amounts of money on incarceration programs every year, and according to national statistics, the number of offenders who are re-incarcerated for violating their parole is even more alarming, as it has increased more than sevenfold in the last two decades. (Travis, Jeremy and Sarah Lawrence. 2002. Beyond The Prison Gates The State Of Parole In America. Washington, D.C. The Urban Institute.)  The state of Pennsylvania is no exception to this disturbing trend experienced by judicial systems across the country.  The state has seen an increase in the admission of parole violators in the last six years meaning a third of the Pennsylvania departments total admissions of prisoners are for parole violators.

In response to the troubling inclination of inmates on parole to be re-incarcerated, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections conducted a needs assessment of parole violators with the main objective of examining what happens in their lives outside the prison walls, as an indicator of what causes them to violate the terms of their parole.  The assessment was based on an investigation centered on the dynamic psychological experience of recidivism. The assessment was then used as a tool to interpret the self-reported experiences of parole violators involved in the study. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections divided the surveyed groups of nearly 600 into two - technical parole violators and convicted parole violators - over a two month period. Questions asked during the survey ranged from living arrangements, financial situation, alcohol and drug use, leisure activities, and community supervision experiences of the violators. At the end of the study, the Department had collected a total of 542 completed surveys which were then analyzed based on recurring data themes.

What the Department found was a similarity between technical parole violators and convicted parole violators, even though the two populations are known to represent two very different kinds of parole groups, each with different needs. The factors which influenced their lives while on parole were noted to strongly affect the decisions they made  factors such as their level of social contact, their economic and employment status and experiences, their involvement in the use of drugs and alcohol, and their general thoughts and emotions.

The study found that the level of social acceptance and accommodation was a huge influence on how individuals performed while on parole. A majority of the violators said they had a solid support system when it came to family and social relationships.

The study also revealed a finding of encouraging legal employment patterns. While most said it was not difficult to find work, it was the types of available jobs that was most discouraging. Not a huge surprise given the fact that most high paying jobs are more careful in their hiring criteria and requirements.

Among other heavy issues of concern were poor financial management skills, strong anti-social attitudes towards convicts, and general poor coping skills of convicts. All these factors when taken into consideration showed that most parole violators seem not very well prepared for life outside incarceration hence the high tendency of their return. Although the outcome with regards to family acceptance was encouraging, it could also be cause for concern in situations where family and friends are also involved in criminal activity and therefore have the ability to be of negative influence on individuals on parole. (Zamble, Edward and V. L. Quinsey. 1997. The Criminal Recidivism Process. United Kingdom Cambridge University Press.)

To reverse the negative trend of parole violations, programs need to be implemented that focus mainly on cognitive behavioral treatment to include coping strategies, self-management enforcement and relapse prevention methods based solely on individual needs. Other technical skills such as financial management should be seriously considered in an effort to keep financial frustrations to a minimum. This is of great importance because money management is an important determinant of self-interest the implications of its success in the life of a parole violator cannot be overlooked. Individuals should also be taught the value of accepting their reality. Having realistic expectations of external attitudes towards individuals on parole will help individuals on parole to have a realistic way of viewing situations, then coping with social judgmental attitudes towards them. Programs focused on reinforcing pro-social behavioral reactions to negative emotional experiences should also strongly be implemented. This should be based on the assumption that violators are bound to experience unlikable emotional experiences at some point in their lives. Drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs should be implemented inside the prisons as part of a pre-release program structured to equip individuals with general positive outlooks on the life situations. Most of all, individuals, prior to their release on parole, should be informed of the obstacles they are bound to face in terms of job searches, job satisfaction, money matters and general life outside prison. They must be prepared to face these challenges head on and with a positive and realistic outlook.

The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has since designed a pilot program for parole violators aimed at addressing each of the major policy implications identified in the study. A thorough assessment of individual needs will be used to tailor individual treatment plans and place parole violators in issue-specific treatment groups according to their assessed needs.  This model is expected to better prepare parole violators for re-release and will hopefully serve to reduce future parole violator admissions to Pennsylvanias prisons. (Champion, Dean John, 2007. Crime Prevention in America, New Jersey Prentice Hall Publishing.)