(William DiMascio is executive director of the Pennsylvania Prison Society )
PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER: Prisons are being used ineffectively and inefficiently, and this overly punitive government strategy is having a destructive impact on society.
High recidivism rates attest to the ineffectiveness of the system. In some cases, two out of three former inmates return to prisons within three years for violations of parole or new crimes.
Research shows that academic and vocational education programs significantly reduce recidivism rates, yet these are the kinds of programs that are eliminated first when budgets are squeezed.
We need to significantly change the way we view criminal justice. We need to make it less punitive and more restorative. We must pursue a variety of alternative sanctions that have been used successfully for years and continue to develop promising new responses like drug courts… (more)
