To believe that we can’t rehabilitate repeat offenders

[Atlanticwinds]

I started working in a prison 4 years ago. I entered the service full of hope that I will be changing lives and helping those who struggled in life and had shitty childhoods. I deliver programs to reduce reoffending and invest so much in my learners and constantly advocate for them and for their needs. I can’t go into details of the lengths I went to ensure that they’re supported both whilst in prison and after release so I don’t get identified.

But today I felt low. Really low. All the referrals for the program were men that completed it in the past. Some have done it over and over and have shown us a complete change of character when they were with us. They became peer mentors and drafted some inspiring stories for others. Just to be released and return on a new offense on remand or breach within a couple weeks/ months. Is what I’m doing worth it or is my role and that of my fellow passionate colleagues are just a waste of public money?

Officers smirk at us as we’re seen as unjustifiably positive and keep on insisting that all these men need is someone to show them some tlc and stand by their side after release. Today I realised I was so naive and deserve the ridicule that I get on the wings from some officers.

My last program graduate is only 26 and has been to prison 19 times. He was a ray of sunshine throughout the program and shown some unmatched dedication. Previous offences were all around robbery, theft, drugs …etc. He returned this morning on remand for rape. I’m so sad.

I don’t think there is enough support on the outside to continue the good work you and your colleagues start. You don’t deserve ridicule, you are clearly passionate about your job. It’s the system outside that is broken!

I really think that sentences need to be longer and that the problem is that offenders need more time to actually internalise what they're learning, more time in a safer environment where they are supported, and then to be released once they're actually ready, rather than when the feeble UK sentencing guidelines dictate for any given crime. It's just not enough to do a whistle stop tour, it might give them some aha moments but they're not transforming habits of a lifetime with the time they have inside. I also think the "real world" needs to be better set up for them to reintegrate. The problems that caused them to commit crime are still right out there. I think the same about rehab, after my dad relapsed fairly soon after, as so many do; I just don't think the time he had was enough to change the habits of a lifetime for him or set him up to cope with new and unexpected challenges in realtime as they happened.

Firstly OP I just wanted to say that it takes a certain type of person to do the job that you’re doing and the fact that you’ve been doing it with such compassion, hope and belief in these people goes to show what a caring and patient person you are.
If I’m being completely honest though, no, I don’t think you can rehabilitate repeat offenders unfortunately. I know there are the minority that are rehabilitated and genuinely learn their lesson and turn their life around and never offend again but they really are a minority.
Statistically, most will go on to reoffend. Especially when it’s ‘petty’ crimes with shorter sentences such as theft. As these ‘smaller’ crimes tend to build up to other, more serious crimes in the future.
The ones that show such dedication and genuine interest to the programmes that you run probably do mean well and want to ‘do good’ and have good intentions for their release. But the sad reality is when they are released if they’re going back to the same place they came from and are around the same friends who are also involved in crime etc then then it’s far too easy to forget all about the good intentions they had as ‘real life’ for them is very different to that.
Also, to add, you certainly can’t ‘rehabilitate’ a rapist IMO.

I think you should be careful what you post on social media OP.

It's less likely to work, but not impossible. If it can save a few people, it's surely worth it.

As often happens, the first sentence nails it. If there isn’t the support for when people leave the system, nothing you do will be enough.

That doesn’t mean that what you’re doing is futile though. I completely believe that the type of work you describe is essential. Reoffending rate is obviously important, but it’s not everything. It takes a huge amount to turn around a damaged life, more than one service could achieve alone. Even if all you can provide is a seed that may or may not grow given the conditions that are outside of your control, it is still worth providing people with a chance.

I understand how you feel. While I do think what you do is worthwhile, remember you are dealing with people who have probably had a pretty bad start in life. There's a growing body of evidence about adverse childhood experiences and how they shape a child's growing brain. Unfortunately, some prisoners actually feel safer and secure in prison because they can't manage in the outside world and often end up back inside because that's all they've known.

I'm not sure we can change the prison population until we address the societal problems that turn people into criminals in the first place. It's so complex - poverty, chaotic family background, mental health problems, drug and alcohol issues, learning difficulties can all play a part in shaping a person's life chances.

Op I’m fairly sure they will take something away from the work you do with them. It not all in vain

What program are you teaching? Sex offenders TP vs generic thinking skills vs basic literacy will have different outcomes for every prisoner.

What are the recidivism rates for prisoners who have completed your course vs that of non attendees?

The ones I do not believe can be rehabilitated are the sex offenders, especially the men with a sexual interest in children.

I can see how you are feeling disheartened. I'm sure what you are doing it benefitting them. But tell me now you've never had a plan to do something with the best intentions and then real life just takes over. It must be so hard without the support you need outside. As others have said, going back to the same places, people and habits will make it virtually impossible to change your ways long term.

Can you try and learn from the ones who have come back? What were the things that have led them back? Is there any way for them to avoid it? Is there any additional support available on the outside?

The thing is with a lot of criminals committing more high level and insidious crime is they're very clever : not academically, but "street" clever. They are far more educated in "street life and ways " than we are. They're often manipulative, skilled at what they do and know how to pull the wool over our eyes. They usually have a big gang of mates (fellow criminals) who make sure their "work" is done in their absence or they're too scared of the comeuppance to alter their ways and get away from their lifestyle once they're out of prison. It's a whole system of living for them.

Death worthy criminals such as paedos can't be rehabilitated. They're addicted to it. And lilt any addict , they will fulfill their indulgence at the cost of everything, one way or another. No amount of telling them they're immoral and causing grave harm to innocents is going to change that all consuming drive to satisfy their depraved desires. The only deterrent is dealing with them in a very archeic way (which I'd support if the proof was there of their acts ) they're also another highly manipulative group of people .

Problem is as a society we believe "education" is the key. But these people only use our "street" ignorance to find loopholes and manipulate us. We just can't and won't see it.

They return to the same environment, the same problems, the same peers, the same or worse economic conditions. Many have no basic living skills. While they are in prison they can give all of the focus into the course and may want the changes but don’t have the support outside.

Have you asked their ambitions, most of them are either unrealistic or quite low.

I joined the prison service with all of the optimism that you have forty years ago and watched the same people return again and again.

I believe low lovely criminality can and should be rehabilitated: examples, theft to feed addiction /substance abuse. Ok, addiction is pretty tricky to treat, but if you support the individual socially, mental health wise, physically and give good after care, you stand a very good chance of sorting the criminality. To me they're not crimes of greed with sinister motives , but more out of desperation and poor upbringings.

Also (with the exception of nonces who imho should be given the death penalty, and I'm not sorry about that opinion and I don't care about the so called "civilised" opinions and semantics) If you look at most crimes that revolve around drugs and violence, they are usually from a certain type of background and upbringing. We call them "rough" (but you're probably not allowed to say that on here ) . Unfortunately, in society, we do encourage these people to breed (and usually in multiples) because of our generous benefits system and lack of authority on society. Too many bleeding hearts.

If you only gave vouchers for clothes, food and baby items instead of a steady income , getting pregnant when you have no money/no job/no stable accomodation would not be such a thoughtless decision. You've got to tackle the root of the problem.

This isn’t answering your question OP but I’m in a different line of work where I also question can people really change/am I actually doing any good and I have to hold onto the success stories even when they are few and far between and the ones who don’t change outnumber them as the people who did change are worth it all

I'm guessing you work in addiction services ?

Some can.

some can’t

I was caught speeding and did a speed awareness course. The guy running it said that there were two groups of people - some who only ever did one course and sone who came back time after time.

the people you only see once you only see once. The people who come back time after time you see a lot of.

Fuck that’s tough. Sorry OP.

I don’t think most can no. Once you cross a line it’s crossed. So why not cross it again.

@Atlanticwinds Don't blame yourself. They are plenty of countries that don't have this, where people don't reoffend. Balme the system, because frankly austerity has cut services to ridiculous amounts, also probation is struggling; not many people have gone into it and they're overwhelmed with people and can't do enough. If someone reoffends because they leave prison homeless then all the work you do isn't gonna help. Also prison itself is harmful, especially for vulnerable groups. I think the last time I checked only about 30% of people have a job when they leave. I mean we set people up to fail. The UK has the highest incarceration rate in Europe and one of the highest reoffending rates. So no we don't need to imprison more, the data and studies are clear, it leads to more crime. The rest of Europe has minimal prisons, more rehabilitation, and less reoffending. Are we saying they have nicer criminals then us? You do your best, but in a system that ignores the criminal justice system; especially after the police - ignoring the prison service and the minimal funding for probation, you can't do it all.

25% of people in prison went to care but they're only 1% of the general population - we need more prevention in our care system? We are setting up care experienced youth for prison. Again if we treated addition as a mental health issues and sent people to rehab and not prison (users not dealers) then they'd do better. If people left prison, with help for a job and not homeless, they'd do better. Honestly, I think we need for Caterogy D prisons; open prisons help to lower reoffending.

Sorry OP, I'm sure you won't want to hear this, but I really don't think you can rehabilitate criminals. The pattern of their life is usually set from when they are very young. People who end up in prison and immediately admit that what they did was a mistake, or done by accident, or they didn't think it through, are likely to come out and not re-offend anyway, as they have realised straight away that what they did was wrong, but anyone who has pleaded not guilty, but are clearly guilty of their crime, will have absolutely no intention of going straight when they get out, regardless of the effort and work that you put in. Of course this is just my opinion, but sadly I think there are too many criminals capable of pulling the wool over the eyes of people like yourself, and have absolutely no intention of turning their life around when they get out. Spending time doing courses, attending meetings, etc., is just a way of passing the time for them.

I've worked in similar settings where some days hope can feel scarce. Here is an analogy that helps me.

Imagine your work is a drop of water in a bucket. You can't see inside the bucket....yours might be the first drop and it make take years of drops from lots of people before it is full (when visible change happens), or it might be that your drop is the final one that makes the bucket full (where you see immediate lasting change).

You have to find a way to know that your "drop of water" still counts, regardless of whether the impact is visible to you at the time.

For what's it's worth, I have professional involvement with a guy who for over 20 years was one of the most prolific offenders in our area. Decades in and out of prison. He's now 8 years substance and offending free and doing the most incredible things in his community. My guess is that back in the day, every professional who worked with him would have bet their mortgage on him never changing

Thanks for the important work you do

Couldn't disagree more.

Other countries have far harsher penalties, as we well know. The most heinous of crimes carrying thr death penalties (some humans are evil and cannot be cured of that ) only one way to end the risk they pose.

Softy softy prisons do not work for seasoned criminals. Perhaps we should start actually punishing criminals instead of "educating" them. Fear is the only language they understand.

With people who are vulnerable (substance users ) I agree they should be hospitalised or in facilities to treat the addiction and mental health. But we stick them in "group" situations where they meet other users ? That's insanity.

Also the care system is far too slow to remove at risk children (who may go on to repeat the lifestyle) and instead picks on easier target families who'll be more compliant who they're less afraid of. Prevention (such as benefits only in the form of vouchers to help with clothing and food and childcare provision) should be given out by the government instead of money (which many subsidise with cash in hand jobs/drug dealing/ criminal dabblings ) we just won't learn because we're not clever in the "street" sense.

100%

I did a different line of work which left me a bit disillusioned too - or perhaps more realistic. I agree with you - people do not change often, and almost never as a result of external pressure.

@Atlanticwinds firstly, thank you for your service and the energy and passion you bring.
I've worked for 30 years in prisons, including running some quite well-known establishments. I've always been motivated by rehabilitation. What I've learned is that rehabilitative potential changes through life, and to be successful requires more than just the desire to change. Adolescents who offend can very often move away from criminality as they mature and receive comprehensive multidisciplinary support by Youth Justice workers. The 20-35 year olds find it harder because they are not really mature but the system expects them to be self-motivated and able to think things through, so they receive little practicsl Resettlement support. Once they get to their mid to late 30s their maturity starts to have a positive impact and their desire for normal family life becomes more powerful than offending urges. Most men in prison are in that middle group, and they're the ones seemingly in the revolving door that you see again and again. The fact that we don't have equal numbers of elderly prisoners tells you that they do grow out of it and eventually stop committing crimes.
Don't expect men who have an entrenched pattern of offending to stop overnight thanks to an OB programme. They will stop when they are ready. Our challenge is to bring that day forward and ensure that, when they realise they want change, they have the skills, education and health needed to make their change stick. If it helps, you could regard rehabilitation as a process of developing, building and reinforcing desistance over a long period, rather than a single intervention however well designed and delivered.

There's a growing body of academic research on rehabilitation, which tends to point instead to the idea of desistance. That is, you won't generally cure people but you can create the conditions where their offending slows down and finally stops. Work by Shadd Maruna along these lines is worth reading