Recidivism is a problem that all previously incarcerated individuals struggle with once released. Within 3 years, around 83% of individuals released from prison will be sent back according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics.
The social costs of recidivism are widespread. Many struggle with finding a stable lifestyle as it is hard for them to maintain positive relationships while going in and out of prison. Another barrier is the ability to find and maintain a stable job and income to provide for themselves. The stigma of having a prior conviction on one’s record causes issues for individuals when it comes to finding a job and housing after being released. A lot of individuals also struggle with the stigma associated with wearing an ankle monitoring device. It can cause frustration and a lack of will to want to do everyday life activities. This impairs their ability to lead as normal a life as possible when entering society again.
There are also major financial costs of recidivism for individuals and also for the criminal justice system. Individuals now face the costs of lawyers, posting bail and losing their jobs again. When people cannot make bail and are on pretrial, they take up resources such as jail space and facility costs. According to the Federal Register, the average cost of incarceration for Federal inmates was $34,704.12 ($94.82 per day) in 2016 and $36,299.25 ($99.45 per day) in FY 2017. The average annual cost to confine an inmate in a Residential Re-entry Center was $29,166.54 ($79.69 per day) in 2016 and $32,309.80 ($88.52 per day) in 2017. This adds up quickly when jails and prisons are over max capacity and the funding for these facilities comes from taxpayer money. There are solutions to reduce the social and financial costs of recidivism through innovative solutions and technology.
TRACKtech is a mobile solution designed to address the challenges of high recidivism rates, overwhelming officer caseloads, and the need to increase public safety. TRACKtech has created and developed an evidence-based, data-driven, mobile platform that offers comprehensive rehabilitation and compliance monitoring capabilities. This allows for individuals to have easier communication with their officers, access to a wide variety of resources, and help to keep them on the right track to reduce their chances of recidivating. Utilizing the TRACKphone also decreases the stigma of wearing an ankle monitor and can provide rehabilitation to individuals. Recidivism is costly for both the individual and the criminal justice system but there are solutions to reduce this at our fingertips.