Post #290
900 words; 4 mnute read
Summary: In Quebec, providing more programs to prisoners in provincial jails is associated with noticeable declines in reoffending and a considerable cost-benefit ration.
If a major purpose of putting people in prison is to dissuade them from committing further crimes, then we should be interested in what actually serves that purpose. It is now accepted among criminologists that longer imprisonment- or imprisonment altogether – tends to produce more crime, not less. That finding has not had much effect on public policy in most countries, given a political environment that exploits the human desire to punish those we disapprove of, whether that punishment is effective or not.
A recent Canadian study goes beyond that question to whether the provision of more rehabilitation programs works to reduce later reoffending. The study, done by three economists, looks at the effect of programs in Quebec provincial jails. Previous research on the effects of prison programs, the authors note, ‘suggests that program participation decreases recidivism and increases employment, [but] the research designs they survey are deemed too poor to provide reliable estimates.’
Provincial jails in Canada hold prisoners either on remand (the vast majority) or with court-imposed sentences up to two years, but averaging, in this study, 4 months.
Programs are required in Quebec jails
In Quebec, providing programs to prisoners in provincial jails is required by law, whereas in most provinces prisoners in provincial jails have little or no access to any programs. Programs in Quebec range from education (high school completion) and vocational training to addiction and substance use treatments. The authors note that Quebec prisons also provide healthcare services, counseling and family support, most of which are not available in other Canadian provinces.
‘Prisons managers collaborate with government bodies, community organizations and private agencies to develop various programs such as addiction or violence-related interventions, education and job skill courses, or self-development programs.’
‘…prisoners decide whether to participate or not and may enroll in as many programs as available. Program duration varies significantly across and within program types. The majority of the programs are structured to incorporate one to two-hour sessions on a weekly or bi-weekly basis, typically spanning five to six weeks. Job skills and education programs are often more intensive.’
The study included 145 different programs, grouped into six categories: self-development, violence, addiction, education, job skills, and others, which included leisure, spirituality and sports activities.
The availability of programs is influenced by many factors including time of year (fewer int the summer), the budget of each prison, location and availability of partners, and others.
The study followed thousands of prisoners in 7 prisons over years, and looked at recidivism over 5 years, including being sentenced to another provincial imprisonment, receiving a community sentence (such as probation or house arrest), or receiving a federal sentence of two years or more – which happened very seldom.
Although this number is not stated in the study, it appears that about 20% of prisoners participate in at least one program. Of those, more than 40% enroll in a single program while around 20% enroll in two, and about 10% enrol in three programs. Longer sentences correlate with higher participation and lower recidivism. The authors note that Indigenous people in the system enroll in fewer programs
More programs associated with less reoffending
‘We find that some programs substantially decrease future incarceration, but that this decrease is partly offset by an increase in future community sentences which are nevertheless associated with less serious offenses.’
The authors find that a significant (one standard deviation) increase in the number of available programs decreases the likelihood of reincarceration by 4 percentage points over a five-year window. Community sentences increase by about half that amount but are also for less serious crimes. Having more programs available also decreases the likelihood of pretrial detention for those who are charged again, suggesting that program participation may assist in obtaining bail. So overall, making more programs available produces good results.
The kinds of programs available also seem to matter. Those focused on violent behavior, education deficiencies or employment unreadiness show a greater decline in the likelihood of recidivism. The evidence on self-development programs is in the same direction but the effects are weaker. However, and surprisingly to some (such as advocates of compulsory programs for addictions) addiction programs and those related to arts, spirituality and sports show no effect on later crime.
More programs yield substantial cost-benefit
The researchers also conducted a cost-benefit analysis, using very cautious assumptions. They found that providing additional programs in Quebec prisons – and presumably a similar effect would be true elsewhere – provides three times as much in financial benefits, due to decreased imprisonment later, than the cost of those programs. This analysis looked only at financial costs; the benefits would likely be much greater if we included the additional costs to individuals and their families whose lives are badly disrupted by incarceration.
We estimate that providing more opportunities to participate in programming would result in significant net benefits, even if considering only the monetary benefits of reduced incarceration
This study reinforces a considerable amount of research showing that a more punitive approach to crime, with longer sentences and worse jail conditions, leads to worse outcomes. However when it comes to crime, people, and therefore policies, are driven by emotion, and that is mostly tied to anger and the desire for vengeance and pays little regard to evidence. It’s hardly new, and one might even say we do better than we did a century or two ago. Yet there is much room to improve still as we continue to find many calls to make prison even harsher despite Quebec be pointing in a better direction.
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