A Bad FIRST STEP

Congress is trying to pass legislation (e.g., FIRST STEP) to reduce prison populations. One blog I read suggests the supporters are a malign coalition of Democrats and pro-drug libertarian Republicans. It is a bad idea.

A recent Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics report on prisoner recidivism summarizes what happens to released felons.

Five in 6 (83%) state prisoners released in 2005 across 30 states were arrested at least once during the 9 years following their release. The remaining 17% were not arrested after release during the 9-year follow-up period.

About 4 in 9 (44%) prisoners released in 2005 were arrested at least once during their first year after release (figure 1). About 1 in 3 (34%) were arrested during their third year after release, and nearly 1 in 4 (24%) were arrested during their ninth year.

The data suggests releasing felons from prison is a high-risk, low-reward proposition. Congress has better things to do with their time than deinstitutionalizing habitual criminals.