Tracking and Lowering Recidivism in Federal Prisons (S. 1783)

What is S. 1783?

(Updated August 19, 2018)

S.1783 — the Federal Prison Reform Act — aims to reform the prison system by monitoring recidivism rates in federal prisons.

If passed, highlights of the bill include:

• The creation of a “Post-Sentencing Risk and Needs Assessment System” that tracks the recidivism rates of all U.S. federal prisoners.
• Granting authority to the Attorney General to develop recidivism reduction programs.
• Promoting research on the success of recidivism reduction programs.
• Allowing prisoners with low-risk of recidivism to earn up to 50% of their prison time in home confinement or a halfway house if they meet certain benchmarks in recidivism reduction programs.
• Giving prisoners with medium to high-risks of recidivism the opportunity to earn "credits" to re-categorize themselves as low-risk.
• Penalizing the Bureau of Prisons for any failure to implement the program,

The program would exclude sex offenders, violent offenders, terrorists, major organized crime offenders (think leaders of drug cartels and human trafficking operations) and major fraud offenders.

Argument in favor

Non-violent federal prisoners with low risk of recidivism should not be kept in detention centers on the taxpayer's dime. Relocating low-risk offenders will cut prison costs and not pose a threat to surrounding communities.

Argument opposed

There’s no way of telling whether or not a prisoner will relapse into criminal activity if they re-enter the free world — criminals should not be given second chances after they have been found guilty.

Impact

The 214,000+ people in federal prisons, their families, the Bureau of Prisons,

Cost of S. 1783

A CBO cost estimate is unavailable.

Additional Info

Of Note:

Recidivism or "relapses into criminal behavior" is a huge factor for people in federal prisons. A study conducted by the Bureau of Justice on national recidivism found that:

• "Within three years of release, about two-thirds (67.8 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested.
• Within five years of release, about three-quarters (76.6 percent) of released prisoners were rearrested.
• Of those prisoners who were rearrested, more than half (56.7 percent) were arrested by the end of the first year.
• Property offenders were the most likely to be rearrested, with 82.1 percent of released property offenders arrested for a new crime compared with 76.9 percent of drug offenders, 73.6 percent of public order offenders and 71.3 percent of violent offenders."

Recidivism rates vary for every prisoner, depending on age, offense, sex, and number of prior arrests.

Media:

Sponsoring Sen. John Cornyn (TX-R) Press Release

The Houston Chronicle

(Photo Credit: The Nation)