The Tennessee Department of Correction has discovered some encouraging news in its latest study on recidivism. The just released report shows that felons released from TDOC prisons are now less likely to return to custody.
The return rate for ex-felons dropped 3% in the latest survey. For 2005, the recidivism rate stood at 38.8% for offenders who had been out of prison for three years. That's compared to a 42% rate in 2001. While there is no recognized national average for recidivism, return rates range as high as 65% for individual states.
For Tennessee taxpayers, a 3% drop in return means an annual savings of $3,933,502.80 based on the $64.92 daily rate to house an inmate.
Even better news is that the TDOC is maintaining extremely low return rates for felons convicted of violent crimes such as murder, rape and assault. Three years after their release, these offenders were only 25% likely to return to prison compared to the nearly 44% return rate for those convicted of property offenses.
Unfortunately however, (as documented in an article from Nashville Public Radio found here) the rate went up for felons serving their time in county jails. Commissioner Gayle Ray says prisons have the advantage of programs to rehabilitate inmates. But she says not all county jails can afford to do the same.
“Counties are really strapped for the amount of money that’s given to jails, and especially some of the rural counties, they’re barely able to hire correctional officers, much less put in programs – They just don’t have those resources.”
The study also found recidivism was lowest among felons released after serving their full sentence, compared to probation or parole. The full report is available on the TDOC website here.
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