Today I have read an article entitled 'The California Prison and Rehabilitation System' which has told me about different offending rates for ethnic minorities. It also detailed that, as in the UK, drug offenders have to spend longer in prison yet there is not much rehabilitation available for them.
Compared to the UK, America takes a much tougher stance on punishment in that 42% of drug offenders were classed as low level offenders yet they were in jail for 6 years. This means they should have more access to rehabilitation but they are generally unable to take advantage of it due to their addictions.
The article has shown me that rehabilitation in California is controlled by the California Department for Corrections so I can going to research this faculty more. However the article showed that only 2% of the budget for prisons is spent on education whilst 41% was spent on security. This shows that rehabilitation isn't at the forefront of the departments thinking. There was also evidence which showed that inmates who left prison with a degree were 18% less likely to reoffend and the reoffending rate was just 5% for people who gained a BU degree compared to the 69% rate for people who didn't.
The article also had a case study -Delancey Street- which provides residential education programmes for offenders who want this. This makes the programmes more effective because the people are not being forced to do something they don't enjoy. Residents can also develop skills such as typing and social skills through playing sport. 80% of residents stay for the full duration of the programme.
http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/poverty_prejudice/citypoverty/california.htm
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