Measuring Success Through Recidivism Rates...Success?

A major problem within the criminal justice system, as well as social science, is the inability to measure the success of a program, system, diversionary tactic, or recidivism in general.  With this being said, it is possible to measure the lack of efficiency by observing or figuring out recidivism rates; if any of the previously mentioned strategies have a high return rate (recidivism) then it is quite obvious that the approach is ineffective.  However, and once again, using recidivism rates to measure success can be problematic, mostly because the only thing being measured are the re-arrests, and not the individual criminality that someone may be engaging in.   Therefore, this blog will address the lack of efficiency in the government and private entities' treatment mechanisms and infer how the non-profit organizations have outdone them in a manner that needs to be recognized. 

Using official government statistics makes it easy to blast the resources that these agencies use to rehabilitate the offenders that they come into contact with.  For instance, many of these sources, and research projects by scholars, present recidivism rates that are well above the fifty percent mark, and somehow the treatment providers still have the audacity to suggest that these programs are working and need to be funded by tax payers.  Additionally, many of the results (success cases) do not measure the individuality of the offenders that they are claiming to be a success.  Meaning that the many studies or other statistics do not account for the criminality that is not reported or observed, and in turn suggest that because a person has not been rearrested that they are living a law abiding or better life.  This is obviously a bunch of bullshit, and the scholars, government officials, and treatment providers should be ashamed of themselves for projecting such biased statistics.  A simple example of the botched research and success cases by these people can be used.  That is, most of the statistics or claims that say a program is a success do this: Point A: The researchers track offenders from the time that they enter a diversion or treatment program.  Point B: The researchers mark the date in which the offenders leave the treatment/diversion program.  Point C: Is the mark that researchers make and suggest that because an offender has not been arrested from Point B to Point C then the treatment is successful.  Again, this is biased work, and complete bullshit.  Yet this is not to say that all offenders who enter a private or government operated treatment agenda are not benefitting.  What is being posited by this author is this: The measuring of arrest rates from Point B to Point C is not an adequate form of research.  The reason being is because the researchers are not measuring the criminality that is not being observed.  A person could not be arrested from Point B to Point C, and still be engaging in criminal activity or other behaviors that would not be considered rehabilitative.  One of the major problems with this, again, is the aforementioned bogus research, however, another problem is counteracting this biased application of researching treatment programs.  Would you admit, or allow someone to follow you around, and observe you if you are engaging in crimes or activity that is not up the standards of the treatment program that you just left?  Probably not, right?  So, the research that says these programs are a success are mostly full of shit, the problem is who do you blame, the researchers or treatment programs? 

Now, on to the non-profit organizations that make up for the botched applications of treatment by the correctional, judicial and private entities.  These organizations have some authentic results, and conduct themselves in a manner that has more of personal touch on a person’s rehabilitation.  Many non-profit organizations tune their treatment plans to the offender’s personal problems, and not some generalized crap-show that so many of the government and private treatment facilities conduct.  For example, the Actors Gang Prison Project uses the arts to facilitate positive change in an offender’s life.  Moreover, these dedicated people follow-up with the offenders to ensure that they are receiving the best possible treatment.  Not many government organizations can say that they do this.  Organizations like the Actors Gang Prison Project use personal interests to better the lives of their clients, and in turn have great success in doing so.  The recidivism rates in this organization are much lower than any of the government or private entities’ approaches.  Wow! What’s the point of funding all of these judicial or correctional treatment programs then?  A non-profit organization blew these opposing parties out of the water; keep that in mind when you go vote in the upcoming elections.  Second to this, they use acting and other informal methods to reach their end result (actually changing a person’s life for the better).  The methods in the government and private treatment programs suggest that they are using psychological and proven-to-be successful treatment methods, yet they don't work!  The official statistics are official statistics; holy shit, what are these people doing? 

           In short, the problem of social science, and judicial/correctional treatment programs is hidden by the dreams and wallets of those who are involved in the processes, and getting any of them to admit that they suck at their jobs is like trying to get a cat in a bathtub -- it’s extremely difficult to do.  Wake up social scientists, wake up government and private treatment programs.  The non-profit organizations beat you at your game and more importantly they severely kicked your ass.  If someone commits a crime, the numbers posit that the arts and other approaches have more of a therapeutic result when compared to the psychological and proven-to-work methods of the government and private parties’ contrivances.  The worst part, or in my opinion the best part, is that organizations like the Actors Gang Prison Project are non-profit; kindness and realistic treatment seems to be working, are you that surprised?