Today we’re talking about communication and recidivism, and featuring an article about the Northampton County Prison substance abuse program. According to an article by Tom Shortell, half of graduates from Northampton County Prison substance abuse program commit new crimes.
The Northampton County Controller’s Office prepared an audit of the Community Education Center (CEC) and found that those who go through the program re-offend 51% of the time. They also cautioned that the actual recidivism rate may be higher, but the county cannot accurately track graduates who commit crimes outside Pennsylvania.
CEC officials say that graduates need regular aftercare after being released from prison, and if they don’t get it, they have an 80 % chance to re-offend. Despite the warnings, the county has not developed a strategy to ensure graduates receive that support.
The program was started in 2008, and in December 2013 the county approved a new 5 year contract with the CEC for $3.1 million.
A Community Education Center graduation ceremony at Northampton County Prison.
We’ve repeatedly heard that communication, with family and friends, is one of the keys of reducing recidivism – but high phone call prices make regular and sustained communication a big burden on the family and the support system. Perhaps that should be factored into the report and studied.
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