To proactively prevent crime, BBC first looks at and understands the causes of crime before coming up with strategies. One of the causes of crime BBC has considered is recidivism. This is where offenders repeat offenses or go back to crime after being released. In other words, Recidivism is the commission of crimes by individuals who have already faced criminal sanctions.
As stated in the book “The Silver Bullet” by Major Rtd. Titus Wabwire, in Kenya the rate of recidivism is estimated to be about two-thirds of the released persons according to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. While criminal offenders need to face the consequences of their actions, especially through incarceration, BBC observed that the inability of the ex-convicts to re-integrate is a ticking time bomb. Global statistics confirm that the rate of reoffending is high, sometimes higher than 70%. The social and economic costs of the failed reintegration of offenders are a major concern for policy makers around the world. BBC as such looks at factors influencing recidivism as follows;
Factors contributing to recidivism
- Employment
Researchers have found lower rates of recidivism in situations where ex-convicts received support for tools and equipment to start their ventures or were employed once out of prison. In many instances the support can be in form of start-up capital, tools, and equipment was given to prisoners who have undergone vocational training and have specialized skills to enable them to set up businesses once they were out of prison. On the contrary, hardly do you get an employer who would want to employ an ex-convict. Rarely does the public appreciate the rehabilitation prisons carry out and they continue condemning the person without much support.
Many employers conduct criminal background checks on prospective employees and reject anyone with a criminal history. Companies in the retail and service sector that require contact with customers are among the most unlikely to consider hiring a convict. Employer reluctance is greatest when the offense in question is a violent one. The unemployment of the former offenders can, therefore, have more extensive financial ramifications thereby pushing some to recidivism.
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Social Stigma
Social stigma in the context of crime is the negative association between a person or group of people who share certain characteristics especially those who have been convicted of a crime and proven guilty in a court of law and/or condemned to a prison sentence. One is thus labeled, stereotyped, discriminated against, treated separately, and/or experiences loss of status because of the previous act of crime. However, different people develop
different ways of coping with their stigmatized identity, some of which may be problematic like withdrawing from conventional society, and conforming to a deviant identity, end up in recidivism.
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Gang affiliation
Membership to a gang presents a special social reintegration challenge, especially for young offenders. The promise of protection and sense of belonging gangs give youth normally draw them to such criminal groups to a level that the juveniles cannot see any opportunities beyond membership in gang life. And as such, when the young offenders return to society many of them continue being involved with previous gangs. To prevent such, young ex-convicts require support. BBC is, therefore, working with the community and institution of prisons to effectively address this problem.
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Community Factor
The communities from which the ex-convicts come tend to resort to revenge for the offense the culprit might have committed or just stigmatize to the extent the offender would feel not accepted in society. This would ordinarily push some offenders to recidivism. Society needs to understand that making an ex-convict feel that they are not wanted in their community only puts society at risk of crimes by one who would prefer going back to prison to being subjected to what feels like humiliating treatment by the public. If prisoners re-offend after release, community safety is compromised through increased crime.
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Institutional Factor
Busia Beyond Crime Organization has also observed that Effective rehabilitation in reducing the number of persons in prison should go alongside reintegration. Thus, the institution should work with the community in assisting the offender in their social reintegration upon release. Unfortunately, prisons in this country and elsewhere in the World end their mandate at the release of the ex-convict. Normally no follow-up by these esteemed institutions is made to ensure the former prisoners are properly assimilated or reintegrated into the community. It is against this background that BBC has designed crime prevention strategy using community policing Nyumba Kumi to address recidivism as stated above.
