African-Americans Have Experienced Higher Rates of Recidivism

¶ … African-Americans have experienced higher rates of recidivism in contrast with other segments of the population. Evidence of this can be seen with a study conducted by the U.S. Justice Department. They found that those individuals in this demographic and between the ages 18 to 35 have a 32% chance of being incarcerated. Once they are released from prison or placed on probation, the odds of them committing another crime are double in contrast with other population groups. (Kury, 2011) To fully understand why this is occurring requires examining the root causes of the problem. This will be accomplished by conducting a literature review on the subject. These findings will illustrate the primary causes as to why this segment has higher recidivism rates.

The target population is focusing on African-Americans from ages 18 to 35. This study will examine how the lack of education, substance dependency and criminal history are influencing recidivism. One of the most common factors is the lack of available employment opportunities after they are released from jail or placed on probation. This is because they are dealing with the negative stereotypes associated with their criminal past. At the same time, many of these neighborhoods have a lack of opportunities, unemployment is high and there are no retraining / educational services. These factors give them a considerable disadvantage in making any kind of positive changes in their lives. According to Bellair (2011), these factors will contribute to higher amounts of recidivism with him saying, "Contextual analysis reveals that race difference in serious recidivism is explained by low-skill employment opportunity in manufacturing and that it is contingent on levels of neighborhood disadvantage and unemployment." This is showing how the neighborhood, opportunities and attitudes will determine if someone is more likely to commit another crime. The impact this is having on a CBT therapy group, is to make it more difficult to understand and address critical problems. (Bellair, 2011)

Moreover, Andrews (2010) found that the target population group has very little support in dealing with a number of issues. Most notably: substance abuse, anger management, making the transition back into society and job training / placement. This is illustrating how no one cares or understands what happens to them when they are released from jail or placed on probation. These issues will have a negative impact on CBT group therapy. This occurs with professionals becoming overwhelmed with the cases, challenges and identifying areas of concern. As they have limited amounts of time to interact with everyone. (Andrews, 2010)

Furthermore, Raphael (2011) and Shepherd (2013) found that there were other factors which impacted recidivism rates among African-Americans. These include: the lack of education / skills, substance abuse and the belief that their past criminal history will always hurt them. The combination of these factors can cause someone to feel hopeless about their situation. This is because they have no way to support themselves, establish positive connections and make empowering lifestyle choices.