Revolving Door — 40% of Prisoners Back Behind Bars in 3 Years

  More than 40 percent of former prisoners are back in jail within three years of being released, according to a Pew Center on the States report out yesterday (April 13th), either for committing a new crime or violating parole or probation. 

Experts blame the high recidivism rate on prisons' emphasis on punishment rather than rehabilitation. The Pew report said that a key factor in reducing a former prisoner's chances of returning to jail to supervision after release, and pointed to Oregon as a model for reducing recidivism. In Oregon's prison system, inmate needs are evaluated when they arrive at the jail, there is case management during incarceration, and there's also transition planning before release.