Other Statistics on Crime and Recidivism

A recent report by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics has revealed some startling information. The total number of state and federal prisoners more than doubled in this nation between 1985 and 1996! Last year alone the prison population expanded by about 55,900 inmates, reaching a record 1,182,000 at year’s end. By late 1996, state prisons, which hold the majority of convicts, were operating 16% to 24% over their capacity. Federal prisons were even worse, with a rate of 25%! Therefore, despite the construction of many new facilities, overcrowding is still a persistent dilemma. It is also very dangerous! For as incarceration continues to rise, budgets are shrinking, a situation that leads to prison understaffing. Not surprisingly, this makes convict escapes easier. It can also cause riots, resulting in bloodshed and hostage taking. And it leads to the early release of dangerous criminals, who frequently commit new offenses!

As a result, tax money that could have gone toward better schools, hospitals, parks, and libraries, is, instead, spent on law enforcement, court costs, incarceration, and the other expenses involved in crime prevention. For example, in fiscal 1992, Federal, State, and local governments spent $94 billion for civil and criminal justice, a 59% increase over 1987. In the same year, State and local governments combined spent 85.5% of all justice dollars; the Federal Government spent the rest. Recidivism also clogs up the courts, causing long delays in criminal proceedings and even longer waits in civil litigation. It overburdens prosecutors, public defenders, and supporting agencies. This increases the likelihood of serious mistakes in the handling of evidence. All of this creates a general tension and dissatisfaction in society, which can lead to frustration, causing anger that results in even more crime.

In fact, one of the primary causes of overcrowding is recidivism. Statistics indicate that, nationwide, 30.9% of all paroles are revoked. Although admissions are still rising, statistician Allen J. Beck, co-author of the bureau’s study “Prisoners in 1996,” noted that “fewer are coming directly from court convictions and more are returning as parole violators from unsuccessful community supervision.” There’s also an alarming trend. The highest rate of recidivism, 46.5%, takes place among juveniles under the age of eighteen! Of this group, 10.4% are returned to prison for homicide, 18.8% for robbery, and 13% for assault. New York is about average for the nation, with a recidivism rate of 30.7%. California has the highest, with 54.4%, and Texas, our second largest state, has a recidivism rate of 45.7%.

However, despite the dismal reality of government statistics, we at Bible Believers Fellowship, Inc. have a far more positive view, for we see what works, and what doesn’t. It has frequently been assumed that the criminal commits crime due to some social dysfunction or insanity. Yet it is our contention that the offender does not have a problem with his mind, he has a problem with his heart. It is that part of his being, his very soul, that we strive to reach as we minister in the name of Jesus Christ in 452 correctional institutions in 49 states.

A report prepared by the Family Research Council, and written by Robert L. Maginnis, appeared on the Internet. It quoted Todd Clear, a Rutgers University criminologist, who stated “Religious programming is the single most common form of institutional program for inmate management and rehabilitation.” A 1992 Rutgers University study was also sited. It found that prisoners often seek God to cope with inmate life, which is marked by depression, guilt, and self-contempt. Todd Clear, who did the research, found that highly religious inmates have lower rates of depression and commit fewer disciplinary infractions than other inmates. This is confirmed by Charles Adkins, who is also quoted in the report by Maginnis. Adkins, an Indiana state prison official, says that religion is one of several rehabilitation avenues, but it’s the only approach that addresses the root problem, a moral crisis inside the inmate.