Long Sentences & Recidivism in Michigan

Educational opportunities behind bars isn't a process of "correcting" the flawed people inside but of correcting the injustice that surrounds communities on the outside.

Criminal Careers are rather short (typically under 10 yrs), and still today, there is no evidence that long sentences serve as a deterrent to crime. One of the reasons is b.c. people typically "age out of crime." The National Cure reports how the

Long Sentences & Recidivism

impulse to engage in crime, including violent crime, is highly correlated with age, and by one's early 40's even those identified as the most chronic "career criminals" have tapered off considerably.

As people age, they no longer pose the public safety threat they did as young people. Older people have more life experience, and b.c. of this, are more responsible now than they were at a young age. Further proof that long sentences will not jeopardize public safety, and the chances of these people reoffending are even lower today then they proved to be in the past.

Recidivism in Michigan had hovered around 30% in past years and reflects a drop from 1998, when the rate was 45.7%. (1) In 2021, MI recidivism rate was reported as 26.7%, which is a sign that it continues to decrease compared to previous years. (2)

The rate has dropped for the second year in a row and continues to stand at its lowest rate in state history, the MDOC reports in April 2022. The recidivism rate, which measures the % of offenders who return to prison within three years of release, is now at 26.6%, the lowest it's ever been and one of the ten lowest recidivism rates in the U.S.

Based on a literature review of academic journal articles on recidivism rate, certain demographic factors were continuously identified as increasing a person's chance of going back to prison after release. The factors included were gender, age and minority. Additional factors were failure to complete high school led to higher recidivism rates, continual post-release support and planning, as well as prison education courses, employment assistance, substance-abuse and mental health treatment, and housing plans were shown to reduce overall recidivism rates. (3)

Furthermore, in MI, "between 2007 and 2010 [those] with convictions for 2nd degree murder, manslaughter, or a sex offense were about two-thirds less likely to be reimprisoned for a new crime within three years as the total paroled population, according to a 2014 study by researchers at the Citizens Alliance on Prisons and Public Spending. Over 99% of these individuals had not been re-imprisoned for a similar offense within the three-year study period." (4) "Individuals who are released on parole after serving sentences for murder consistently have the lowest recidivism rate of any offenders." (5)

Something that also reduces recidivism is education. Prison education reduces recidivism by over 40%, saving $4 to $5 for each dollar spent. (6) Studies have tracked the relationship between recidivism and educational attainment generally point to reduced recidivism and better preparation back into their communities and the workforce upon release. It offsets the enormous barriers formerly incarcerated people typically face.

Educational interventions have profound social impacts, reducing rearrests, improves family relationships, enhances critical thinking, and helps people become activists. Educational opportunities behind bars isn't a process of "correcting" the flawed people inside but of correcting injustice that surrounds communities on the outside.

-- Nicholas Kelly MDOC # 648663 (Criminal Justice Advocate; Sept 2024)

(1) Bureau of Justice Statistics 2022

(2) Bureau of Justice Statistics By Gautz, 2021

(3) Bureau of Justice Statistics, Jones & Ross 1997

(4) The Sentencing Project, "A New Lease on Life" by Ashley Nellis, Ph.D. and Breanna Bishop June 2021

(5) John Carner, New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services

(6) "Prison Education Reduces Recidivism by Over 40 Percent. Why Aren't We Funding More of It?" By Michelle Chen Twitter Aug 17, 2015