1. Community Re-entry and Criminal Justice Reform
Legal Assistance of Western New York & The Ontario County Jail
Morgan Stevens ’18
Hobart and William Smith Colleges
IMPORTANCE OF REHABILITATION
BACKGROUND
RECIDIVISM STATISTICS
Aspects of Re-Entry:
Transportation
The Regional Transport Service (RTS) arrives at the county jails around 9 am, when inmates are released around 6 am
If a recently released individual relies on transportation from jail to their home, they must wait outside for up to 3 hours
Employment
It is common for employers to not hire someone because they have a criminal record, no matter the crime they committed or duration of incarceration
Staffing Agencies are often unable to take on clients with a criminal record, or if they do the client is commonly placed in a low paying job (i.e. Waste Management)
Education
It is common for incarceration to have an affect an individuals education, both if they are arrested during a period where they are seeking an education or it hinders their motivation to continue that education
Housing
If you are a recently released individual who has to pay for their housing, often times you may experience extreme financial strain and possibly eviction
If you are a recently released individual with no housing option, you may have to find a halfway house or seek out another housing option, which is an extremely difficult task
Identification and Benefits
It is common for individuals to not have any form of official identification, such as a birth certificate or driver’s license, when they are released
If you are a recently released individual that is applying for any benefits, such as Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), you do not have access to that income until a few months after release
Family and Friends
The people in an incarcerated individual’s life, their family and friends, play an important role in how they interact with their community after release
Programing
There are long waiting lists for programs offered in the jails, so it is not uncommon for an inmate to be unable to be a part of any programs, especially if their conviction prohibits it
An individual is not always mandated to seek out specific programs or services (i.e. anger management, or A.A.) upon release, when they could greatly benefit from them
Shown below are two data tables that show statistics on recidivism rates over the years. Figure 1 shows the recidivism rates of prisoners released in 2005 from the time they were released to their first arrest after a period of incarceration. Figure 2 shows the recidivism rates of prisoners released and then rearrested within 3 years, in the years 1983 and 1994.
Although they are statistics from over 20 years ago, it shows a shocking reality of how common it is for recently released individuals to end up back in the system. Both Figure 1 and Figure 2 serve as evidence for the importance of rehabilitation, and awareness of this issue that remains relevant today.
Legal Assistance of Western New York (LawNY)
Community Partner: Ashley Patronski, LawNY Attorney
“LawNY® is a non-profit law firm that provides free legal aid to people in 14 counties in western New York. LawNY offices may be able to help you with problems such as welfare terminations, divorces, evictions, SSI denials, or other legal problems if you are eligible for our services.”
The Ontario County Jail
Community Partner: Alice Haskins, Chief Corrections Officer
“The Ontario County Jail, as a unit of the Office of the Sheriff, supports and is supported by the mission of the Department. The Jail is part of the Community. The Community is part of the Jail. The Correction staff, support staff, and service providers are committed to meet the standards of the community in a combined effort to promote safety, security, and opportunities for rehabilitation.”
MAIN TASKS ACCOMPLISHED
Recidivism Research and Outreach
Phone calls and s to various community organizations and agencies on the topic of rehabilitation
Community Meeting Organization
Community Re-Entry Meeting hosted by WFL – BOCES
Group Leaders Meeting hosted by LawNY
Ontario County Jail Survey
Distributed to approximately 200 inmates in the Ontario County Jail between April 20th – April 29th 2016
Revolved around topics of Re-Entry and how the Ontario County Jail could be improved
Figure 1
Figure 2
THANK YOU TO THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE…
Ashley Patronski and the staff at LawNY in Geneva, for teaching me more about the criminal justice system than I could have ever imagined
Chief Alice Haskins and the staff at the Ontario County Jail, for being so helpful and kind during my many visits to the jail
And a special thanks to my faculty advisory, Professor Jim Sutton for helping me throughout the semester and lending me a different book every week, that almost all became my favorites I have ever read
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Lawny.org
Co.onrario.ny.us