Since 2002, there has not been any major independent scientific study of the prison population in T&T on prison recidivism. Has the situation changed, and if so, was it for better or worse?
What is prison recidivism? While there is no formal agreement on exactly how to measure it (as it is defined and measured differently in various jurisdictions) it points to a behaviour whereby a prisoner returns to prison after serving time therein.Essentially, to reduce the crime rate, one needs to lessen the prison recidivism rate. That is, reduce the number of prisoners who after serving time in prison, return.What was the prison recidivism rate in 2002? Fifty-six per cent. That is, almost six out of every ten prisoners returning to prison. That is unacceptably high. That is programme failure–inside and outside of prison. This also means that out of the approximately 4,000 prisoners, over 2,000 of them are recidivists.
An important but tricky policy issue arises: as resources are scarce and limited, how much should be spent to deal with the recidivists who will come out of prison and commit further crimes vs how much should be spent to deal with the first-timers (46 per cent) to ensure they don't return to prison a second time.Or, do you balance the interventions equally for these two different groups of prisoners?The fundamental issue is, what should be done both in prison and out of prison to assist such prisoners/ex-prisoners from engaging in a continued life of crime? What are the roles of the State, private sector, civil society, communities, families, self, etc?
For instance, what support systems are there to help prisoners when released? They need jobs, a place to stay, everything just like the rest of society. They need special help otherwise they may return to crime and the society suffers. If we help them get on the right track, we are helping ourselves in the long run. And, we will be helping the young people make a positive contribution to society. For instance, in a 2002 study by myself and Prof Ramesh Deosaran, over 80 per cent of the prisoners were between 17 and 41–very productive years.What were the crimes they committed to be incarcerated? Thirty-five per cent were in prison for drug-related offences, another 35 per cent committed larceny, breakings and robbery-related crimes.
Why would 70 per cent of people engage in these types of crimes? It can be mostly for material gain–money. Therefore, if some reasonable, creative and legally-enriching ways can be developed for such people to earn a decent income, it is possible that the 70 per cent can be lessened and thus fewer crimes may be committed. It also calls for commensurate appropriate psychosocial interventions.Honestly, though, much more resources need to be devoted in and out of prison to prevent prisoners falling back into a life of crime. While there will not be a 100 per cent success rate, gradual incremental decreases would contribute to lower crime levels.
We also need to look at our judicial sentencing options given the mammoth prison overcrowding situation. In 2002, one-quarter of all prisoners were serving sentences of less than one year. I'm sure that there may be cases whereby some of these people could have been given a non-custodial sentence. Then, another 11 per cent had sentences of one to two years.To date, T&T does not have a parole system. A committee that was established some years ago to look at this issue suffered the death penalty! Its merits/demerits should be revisited.And finally, there is the obvious critical need for more up-to-date independent scientific studies to guide policy decisions and interventions.
Ian Kevin Ramdhanie
Principal, Caribbean Institute for Security and Public Safety