People don't often think about prison during the holidays.
As one year turns to the next, opportunity and second chances are more top-of-mind for most Americans.
But in our national discussion on recidivism - the rate at which people who leave prison return to incarceration - prison and second chances are two sides of the same coin.
Recidivism presents a challenge for officials at all levels of government, one with important economic and social justice implications. Yet, to date, efforts to reduce recidivism have proven largely ineffective. To improve results, policymakers need to deploy an asset that has thus far flown largely under the radar in the recidivism discussion: technology.
Employing technology can help ensure ex-offenders have the tools they need to thrive once they leave prison and return to society.
The costs of recidivism are enormous.
On one hand, the cost of keeping locked-up the more than 2.3 million Americans who are incarcerated presents an enormous fiscal burden on public budgets. Indeed, maintaining prisons and jails across America cost governments $80 billion in 2014 alone, according to a recent estimate by Roy Austin, Jr., director of the White House Office of Urban Affairs, Justice, and Opportunity.
On the other hand, the vast economic potential and output foregone when so many people are behind bars robs our country of the growth, jobs, and innovation needed to power a higher quality of life. Unleashing the talents and ambition of ex-offenders would provide considerable economic stimulus to our nation's economy.
But the recidivism challenge is about so much more than dollars and cents.
It's about people. About futures. About families, neighborhoods, and entire communities.
When we re-incarcerate at such a high rate, we're not just locking people up -- we're throwing lives away. We're robbing daughters of their fathers, uncles of their nephews, and mothers of their children.
It is important to acknowledge that some offenders - particularly those sentenced for violent crimes - should be in prison and stay there until they no longer pose a threat to public safety.
But it is tempting - and all too common - for us to think of all those who have gone to prison as an unwanted "other" that hurts our society. Such thinking is misguided. Like all of us, ex-offenders have made mistakes. And like all of us, they want a chance to right their wrongs and build a better future for themselves and their loved ones.
America's recidivism challenge robs thousands of returning citizens of that second chance. In doing so, it grates against the deeply held American ideal of redemption, the notion that people who make mistakes should have an opportunity to make things right.
But despite its enormous social and economic costs, state and federal efforts to reduce recidivism have largely failed.
A 2014 study from the Bureau of Justice Statistics tracked 405,000 prisoners from 30 states after they left prison in 2005. The study found that more than half of ex-offenders were re-arrested within a year of release; two-thirds were rearrested within three years; and fully three-quarters were re-arrested within five years. These numbers indicate that new, creative thinking is needed in our nation's battle to reduce recidivism.
Technology provides a powerful ally.
How?
Start with needs.
Most reentry leaders understand that each offender has specific needs and will require a unique range of services to stay out of trouble once they leave prison. However, offering comprehensive, tailored support typically involves a large number of service providers.
While well-intentioned, most providers speak their own organizational language and have their own operational and reporting systems, which can make it difficult to craft and deliver collaborative plans that meet the needs of exiting offenders.
Here, technology provides a solution. Case management software, for example, can help collaborative service teams establish at the outset a shared understanding of the problem, plan, and goals. And operating off of a single system allows them to use a single language to define the method and metrics that will guide their work to successful outcomes.
Once you know where you want to go, how do you know if you're getting there? Here, too, technology can play a role.
In addition to helping service teams set up a shared language and unified objectives, software has emerged that allows providers to standardize data collection on the most important reentry indicators. Getting consistent, accurate data from all partners facilitates improved analysis, communication, and decision-making across the service team, and makes it easier to understand whether the needs of a returning citizen are being met.
Beyond the collection of data, software allows case managers to use that data to make informed decisions. With access to real time data on participant progress in treatment plans, providers can see the types of support that benefit participants the most, and understand and fill gaps in service plans if needed. Auditing software can also help ensure integrity in service provider billing processes, which saves money and frees resources for vital programmatic support for ex-offenders.
As we gather with loved ones to celebrate the holidays, prison won't be the topic of many dinner table discussions. But while we give thanks for what we have and all we can be hopeful for, let us also think of those who aren't with their families this year, and let's think about how much better our country would be if we drew on the talents, capacity, and potential of all our people.
As 2015 turns to 2016, let's resolve as a country to reduce recidivism and give new life to the enduring American ideal that everyone deserves a second chance.
Scott Johnson is the president and CEO of Social Solutions Global.