CHALLENGES OF REINTEGRATING INMATES BACK INTO SOCIETY

Challenges Of Reintegrating Inmates Back Into Society

[Institute Name]

Challenges Of Reintegrating Inmates Back Into Society

Introduction

Article 5 of the Convention prohibits racial discrimination in all its forms and guarantees the right to everyone, without distinction as to race, color or national or ethnic origin, to equality before the law. The U.S. government's discussion of its compliance with article 5 reports primarily on access to courts, discrimination by law enforcement, over representation of minorities in the criminal justice system and prison. However, the Report did not discuss the impact of racism on prisoners re-entering communities upon release. (Nancy 2003)

Literature Review

Social reintegration is often understood as the support given to offenders during their reentry into society following imprisonment. A broader definition, however, encompasses a number of interventions undertaken following an arrest to divert offenders away from the criminal justice system to an alternative measure, including a restorative justice process or suitable treatment. It includes imposing community-based sanctions rather than imprisonment in an attempt to facilitate the social reintegration of offenders within the community, rather than subjecting them to the marginalizing and harmful effects of imprisonment. For those who are sentenced to imprisonment, it includes correctional programs in prison, and aftercare interventions (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2006). In recent years, the post-release, community-based component of these interventions has been variously referred to as "aftercare", "transitional care", "reentry" or "reentry support", reintegration, or resettlement. Some post-release interventions may begin while the offender is still incarcerated with the intent of facilitating post-release adjustment.

The expression offender "reintegration" generally refers to "reentry" or "resettlement". In this review, these terms interchangeably to designate interventions, programs and services designed to assist prisoners to live law-abiding lives in the community following their release. However, the reader is cautioned against using the term "reintegration" too literally, as it should be obvious that, in many instances, the offenders were not prior to their incarceration, successfully integrated into the community, were typically marginalized, and often had failed to acquire the attitudes and behaviours that result in most people functioning productively in society.

In recent years, more emphasis has been placed on designing comprehensive interventions, based on a continuity of care, to provide consistent assistance to offenders within and beyond prison. There is a recognition that preparation for reintegration should commence before the offenders' release. After their release, interventions should support their immediate transition from the prison to the community and reinforce the gains achieved through in prison treatment and continue until a successful reintegration is completed (Fox, 2002). This approach is often referred to as "throughcare", a system-wide mode of intervention (Borzycki, 2005: 11; Borzycki and Makkai, 2007). All interventions, regardless of their method, are best delivered as part of an integrated program designed to address an individual offender's specific issues and challenges. And, renewed attention has been given to "strength-based" approaches to make use of personal and community assets in order to help released offenders face their challenges and successfully reintegrate the community (Maruna and ...