Reincarceration in Philadelphia

1
Reincarceration in Philadelphia

• All Discharged Inmates from
• 2000-2006
• Paul Heroux, MS, MSc
• Special Assistant to the Commissioner

2
Recidivism

• We are not going to define recidivism since it
  can mean any of the following
• Reoffended
• Rearrested
• Reincarcerated
• Resentenced
• Any of the above in another jurisdiction
• And different jurisdictions use different time
  intervals for measurement
• This analysis looks at reincarceration for a new
  crime and/or a VOP in Philadelphia.

3
Things to keep in mind

• Recidivism, broadly defined, is not a good
  measure of a prisons public safety contribution.
• Recidivism, broadly defined, is also not a good
  measure of inmate treatment efforts.
• Reincarceration rates dont include unapprehended
  criminals.
• Reincarceration rates are higher than the number
  of defendants found guilty of a crime.
• It is very difficult to compare one
  jurisdictions recidivism, broadly defined, rates
  to another jurisdiction.

4
Some Basic Numbers

• There were
• 10,468,710 units of information broken down into
• 232,638 rows by 45 columns
• (Each row represented on inmate discharge)
• Of the 232,638 discharges, 45,613 discharges
  remained in government custody, leaving 187,025
  discharges to the street
• These 187,025 discharges represent 96,330 inmates

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Yearly Trends
6
Regardless of what year it is, most recidivism
occurs in the first year.
7
Because most of the recidivism occurs in the
first year, this analysis is going to examine
inmate reincarcerations that occur in the first
year, unless otherwise noted.
8
Generally speaking, 32 of inmates discharges
return in the first year, W/O Duplicates. Generall
y speaking, 42 of inmates discharges return in
the first year, W/Duplicates.
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Note Duplicates included
12

• Is there a relationship between the most serious
  charge and the rate at which an inmate returns to
  the PPS?

13
Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Within the first year, about 40 of the
reincarcerations occur within the first 90 days.
14
Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
The graph above shows that within the first year,
the number of drug related reincarcerated inmates
has been decreasing.
15
Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Inmates discharged for violence related offenses
have been reincarcerated in recently years
slightly more from one year to the next.
16
Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Inmates who were discharged for sexual violence
are on the decline.
17
Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Of the discharges for non-violent sex crimes and
subsequently reincarcerated, in 2006, 87 were for
prostitution related offenses and 2 were for
indecent exposure.
18
Note Duplicates included
(Data for year incomplete it may be higher than
shown.)
Inmate discharged for property crime is on the
rise.
19
Yearly Trends Findings

• The percent and number of inmates reincarcerated
  within the first year is decreasing.
• Reincarceration related to drug offense, property
  and sexual violence are generally level or
  decreasing.
• Reincarceration related to violence and
  non-violent sex crimes, however are on the rise.

20
Length of Stay
21

• Does LOS affect whether or not someone is
  reincarcerated in the PPS?

22
Note Duplicates included
The LOS does not result in a decrease in
reincarceration. In fact, a longer LOS correlates
with a higher percentage of inmates who return.
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24
Note Duplicates included
Longer LOS does not result in a decrease in drug
related reincarceration.
25
Note Duplicates included
LOS has no effect on the percent of inmates
reincarcerated who were previously incarcerated
for sexual violence.
26
Note Duplicates included
LOS is negatively correlated with increased
inmates returning on violence related charges
in other words, the longer inmates stay in jail,
the greater the predictive power we have that
they will come back.
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LOS Findings

• Longer inmates LOS does not result in decreased
  number of reincarcerations for any charge
  category.

29
2006 Cohort
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• What charges are inmates being reincarcerated
  for, and on what intervals?

31
Note Duplicates included
32
Note Duplicates included
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Age
35

• What is the age distribution for inmates who are
  reincarcerated, and for the different charges?

36
Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
48 of reincarcerations came from 30 zip codes of
376 zip codes represented.
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VOP
44
Violation of Parole2000 Cohort

• All inmates discharged in 2000 are examined up to
  29 Sept 2007
• VOP and most serious charge
• VOP and LOS
• VOP and race
• VOP and age range
• VOP and sex
• VOP and inmates zip code at admission
• VOP and release reason
• VOP and marital status

45
Note Duplicates included
46
Note Duplicates included
47
Note Duplicates included
48
Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Note Duplicates included
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Conclusions

• We know who is reoffending
• Young, black males involved in drugs followed by
  robberies
• We know where they reside
• We have 30 zip codes the represent 48 of the
  reincarceration
• We know when most reoffending will occur
• Most recidivism occurs in the first year and
  within the first year, within the first 90 days
• We also know that a longer LOS has no effect in
  reducing reincarceration, costs more and disrupts
  families, yet, there are many who still insist on
  longer sentences

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the bottom line
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the bottom line

• About 58 of the inmates who are discharged from
  the PPS are reincarcerated in the PPS.

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Thank you for your time and attention!

• Questions, comments, hate mail
• Paul.Heroux_at_prisons.phila.gov