|
|
| Digital literacy will reduce recidivism in the long term |
| By brookings.edu- Hillary Schaub & Darrell M. West |
| Published: 10/06/2015 |
|
In a previous TechTank post, Darrell West described how digital technology could be used to reduce rates of incarceration. GPS and radio frequency enabled technology provide an alternative to incarceration like house arrest and remote parole monitoring. A decrease in the number of prisoners physically incarcerated could reduce incarceration costs and ease the reentry of nonviolent offenders. Recidivism linked to education Offenders typically return to prison due to a variety of factors: most often, a lack of education, stable employment and housing, addiction, and other mental health issues. These factors often stack the odds against offenders once they have been released, making it far too easy to ultimately return to prison. Reducing recidivism rates would save taxpayers millions: a 2011 study done by the Pew Charitable Trust found that if 10 states alone reduced their recidivism rates by 10 percent, it would save more than $470 million in a single year. Digital technology can be utilized in order to address a variety of offenders’ needs. Let’s take for example education. Most offenders have a low level of education; one study showed that 37 percent of prisoners in state prisons had less than a high school education in 2004. This directly impacts the ability of offenders to obtain meaningful employment. Since offenders have such a low level of education, they are likely to be confined to a very low wage job, which increases the chances that they will pursue more lucrative (and often illegal) means to make a living. Read More. |
MARKETPLACE search vendors | advanced search
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
|
Comments:
Login to let us know what you think