HARRISBURG, Pa. – The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections reports that between July 2014 and June 2015, crime by people released from their contracted corrections centers is down 11.3 percent. DOC Secretary John Wetzel says it’s estimated that this decrease in recidivism prevented about 122 potential victims of crime in the state.
The department has utilized several programs and initiatives to help criminals when they are released from their facilities including medication assistance treatment, a violence reduction initiative, and a workforce development program.
“Fifty-percent are going to recidivate the first year,” Wetzel said, “so to really drill down and really improve outcomes, we really have to focus on, literally, that first year and if we can get people through that first year, we have a much better chance at them being successful.”
Some of these latest recidivism rates the DOC is reporting are the lowest ever recorded in the state.
