Title: Reincarceration in Philadelphia
1Reincarceration in Philadelphia
- All Discharged Inmates from
- 2000-2006
- Paul Heroux, MS, MSc
- Special Assistant to the Commissioner
2Recidivism
- We are not going to define recidivism since it
can mean any of the following - Reoffended
- Rearrested
- Reincarcerated
- Resentenced
- Any of the above in another jurisdiction
- And different jurisdictions use different time
intervals for measurement -
- This analysis looks at reincarceration for a new
crime and/or a VOP in Philadelphia.
3Things to keep in mind
- Recidivism, broadly defined, is not a good
measure of a prisons public safety contribution. - Recidivism, broadly defined, is also not a good
measure of inmate treatment efforts. - Reincarceration rates dont include unapprehended
criminals. - Reincarceration rates are higher than the number
of defendants found guilty of a crime. - It is very difficult to compare one
jurisdictions recidivism, broadly defined, rates
to another jurisdiction.
4Some Basic Numbers
- There were
- 10,468,710 units of information broken down into
- 232,638 rows by 45 columns
- (Each row represented on inmate discharge)
- Of the 232,638 discharges, 45,613 discharges
remained in government custody, leaving 187,025
discharges to the street - These 187,025 discharges represent 96,330 inmates
5Yearly Trends
6Regardless of what year it is, most recidivism
occurs in the first year.
7Because most of the recidivism occurs in the
first year, this analysis is going to examine
inmate reincarcerations that occur in the first
year, unless otherwise noted.
8Generally speaking, 32 of inmates discharges
return in the first year, W/O Duplicates. Generall
y speaking, 42 of inmates discharges return in
the first year, W/Duplicates.
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11Note Duplicates included
12- Is there a relationship between the most serious
charge and the rate at which an inmate returns to
the PPS?
13Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Within the first year, about 40 of the
reincarcerations occur within the first 90 days.
14Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
The graph above shows that within the first year,
the number of drug related reincarcerated inmates
has been decreasing.
15Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Inmates discharged for violence related offenses
have been reincarcerated in recently years
slightly more from one year to the next.
16Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Inmates who were discharged for sexual violence
are on the decline.
17Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Of the discharges for non-violent sex crimes and
subsequently reincarcerated, in 2006, 87 were for
prostitution related offenses and 2 were for
indecent exposure.
18Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Inmate discharged for property crime is on the
rise.
19Yearly Trends Findings
- The percent and number of inmates reincarcerated
within the first year is decreasing. - Reincarceration related to drug offense, property
and sexual violence are generally level or
decreasing. - Reincarceration related to violence and
non-violent sex crimes, however are on the rise.
20Length of Stay
21- Does LOS affect whether or not someone is
reincarcerated in the PPS?
22Note Duplicates included
The LOS does not result in a decrease in
reincarceration. In fact, a longer LOS correlates
with a higher percentage of inmates who return.
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24Note Duplicates included
Longer LOS does not result in a decrease in drug
related reincarceration.
25Note Duplicates included
LOS has no effect on the percent of inmates
reincarcerated who were previously incarcerated
for sexual violence.
26Note Duplicates included
LOS is negatively correlated with increased
inmates returning on violence related charges
in other words, the longer inmates stay in jail,
the greater the predictive power we have that
they will come back.
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28LOS Findings
- Longer inmates LOS does not result in decreased
number of reincarcerations for any charge
category.
292006 Cohort
30- What charges are inmates being reincarcerated
for, and on what intervals?
31Note Duplicates included
32Note Duplicates included
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34Age
35- What is the age distribution for inmates who are
reincarcerated, and for the different charges?
36Note Duplicates included
37Note Duplicates included
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42Note Duplicates included
48 of reincarcerations came from 30 zip codes of
376 zip codes represented.
43VOP
44Violation of Parole2000 Cohort
- All inmates discharged in 2000 are examined up to
29 Sept 2007 - VOP and most serious charge
- VOP and LOS
- VOP and race
- VOP and age range
- VOP and sex
- VOP and inmates zip code at admission
- VOP and release reason
- VOP and marital status
45Note Duplicates included
46Note Duplicates included
47Note Duplicates included
48Note Duplicates included
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55Note Duplicates included
56Note Duplicates included
57Conclusions
- We know who is reoffending
- Young, black males involved in drugs followed by
robberies - We know where they reside
- We have 30 zip codes the represent 48 of the
reincarceration - We know when most reoffending will occur
- Most recidivism occurs in the first year and
within the first year, within the first 90 days - We also know that a longer LOS has no effect in
reducing reincarceration, costs more and disrupts
families, yet, there are many who still insist on
longer sentences
58the bottom line
59the bottom line
- About 58 of the inmates who are discharged from
the PPS are reincarcerated in the PPS.
60Thank you for your time and attention!
- Questions, comments, hate mail
- Paul.Heroux_at_prisons.phila.gov