The GDC published a press release in June 2018 that notes<\/a> that recidivism rates are decreasing among offenders who complete programs aimed at helping prevent offenders from reoffending. These programs include reentry initiatives dedicated to helping offenders complete their GEDs and vocational certification.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The recidivism rate is determined by examining the number of offenders who are reconvicted within three years of prison release. The GDC does not take into account offenders who commit technical violations while they are on parole, nor does it take into account offenders who recidivate after three years. When taking these factors into account, the Georgia Center for Opportunity argues that the state\u2019s recidivism rate is closer to 50 percent<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are local programs that strive to reduce recidivism. The Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement is tackling recidivism and mass incarceration through its new initiative called Books and Bailout<\/a>, which began in December 2018. The \u201cbailout\u201d portion aims to bail out non-violent inmates while advocating for a \u201cno-cash\u201d bail system. The \u201cbooks\u201d portion program aims to donate books to prisoners with the hope that becoming more well-read will help them become more productive members of society upon their release, instead of reoffending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cDuring the first book drive, I wanted to be there. I drove around and a lot of people came out. It was fun and we ended up with close to 1000 books, maybe more.\u201d says Jodi Barnes, a board member for the Athens Anti-Discrimination Movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Barnes, who has a doctorate in human resources and strategy, is also an educator. She believes that reading and becoming better educated can transform prisoners\u2019 lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cBeing able to read books can make a big difference for people who are incarcerated. It\u2019s a chance for enlightenment,\u201d says Barnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Barnes is hopeful that Books and Bailout will help those who are incarcerated, she also thinks that the state could try harder to reduce recidivism rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThere are not nearly enough programs in place to reduce recidivism. We could be doing so much more to help people when they get out of prison, which would strengthen our community,\u201d says Barnes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Gov. Deal\u2019s administration made different efforts to tackle recidivism. One of note was the Georgia Prison Re-entry Initiative<\/a>, which was approved in 2013. It was a five-year plan that sought to reduce the state\u2019s recidivism rate by 11 percent<\/a> by strengthening reentry services. The initiative projected saving taxpayers more than $264 million by reducing the prison population by more than 5,000 beds. The program ended in 2018, and not many results have been published about the outcome yet. Michelle Stanley, DCS Deputy Director of Reentry Services, stated in a press release that the initiative was \u201csuccessful<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Athens Superior Court Judge Eric Norris deals with recidivism from his seat at the courthouse where he presides over criminal and civil cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe could say there\u2019s a lot of factors as to why recidivism happens. We could say it\u2019s because of education. We could say it\u2019s a lack of opportunity for employment because offenders have a criminal sentence. Sometimes, it\u2019s choices and people making the poor choice to do something that they shouldn\u2019t,\u201d Norris says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Judge Norris also presides over treatment and accountability courts in Athens. These courts function as an alternative to jail time for nonviolent offenders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe mission of these courts is to divert people from going to jail and to address their underlying needs that are defining their decision making. It\u2019s also to affect recidivism rates. The studies have shown that the accountability court system has been successful because it has reduced recidivism rates,\u201d Norris says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n According to the Council of Accountability Court Judges of Georgia<\/a> or CACJ, treatment courts are most effective in reducing recidivism rates among nonviolent offenders who suffer from addiction. At a national level, 75 percent<\/a> of people who complete treatment court programs are not re-arrested. The CACJ reports that program graduates of accountability courts save $11.6 million<\/a> by avoiding recidivism costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n People who are in and out of prison can create instability in their family life. Upon release from prison, individuals may find it harder to find gainful employment, which can lead to poverty,<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cRecidivism has multi-generational effects. If a person has been convicted and violated through the system many times, typically that means either wives, significant others or children are without a parent for a period of time. That goes hand in hand with the issue of economic stability and economic stability is related to a person\u2019s ability to get a job. And then there\u2019s also the societal consideration of an employer deciding whether or not to hire someone with a felony,\u201d Norris says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt affects communities. It affects families, businesses, housing. It\u2019s a pretty deep thread that runs through any community, quite honestly,\u201d Norris says.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Courtney Thompson The\u00a0Georgia Department of Corrections\u00a0reports that 30 percent\u00a0of Georgians with criminal backgrounds get reconvicted within three years of their release from prison.\u00a0Why It\u2019s Newsworthy: This issue is known as recidivism, and it is an issue statewide and nationwide. Not only is this issue costly to taxpayers, it also affects families and industries.\u00a0 The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=352"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":376,"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/352\/revisions\/376"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.courtneytee.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=352"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"http:\/\/gradynewsource.uga.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/My-Post-2-300x300.jpg\")
Local Efforts to Reduce Recidivism<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A Judge\u2019s Perspective<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
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Consequences of Recidivism<\/h4>\n\n\n\n