Fred Patrick Biography

The second session on criminal and social justice was devoted to a thorough assessment of remedies to the system's issues. It concentrated on enhancing prison and re-entry programs in order to improve outcomes and reduce recidivism. Fred Patrick presented data on effective programs meant to educate criminals and prepare them for living-wage employment when they leave jail, noting that most offenders eventually return home. When criminals leave prison, the Pathways from Prison Project prepares them for re-integration into the community by providing postsecondary education. Data from the project show that combining education with re-entry assistance can reduce recidivism, enhance employability and incomes, and improve public safety. Since 1994, the criminal justice system has imposed harsher punishments, lengthier sentences, and required minimum terms, frequently much surpassing the gravity of the offense. Meanwhile, initiatives to rehabilitate convicts have been drastically reduced. Prisoners get little occupational or educational programming, are ineligible for Pell grants, are unable to vote, and are unable to obtain driver's licenses. Individuals participating in the criminal justice system have much lower levels of education than the general population. Approximately 78 percent of the jail population lacks college education, compared to approximately 49 percent of the overall population. The Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act of 1994 made those jailed in federal or state prisons ineligible for Federal Pell Grants. Mr. Patrick urged state senators to look into the conditions of detention in their state prisons and what happens when inmates are freed. Issues such as a lack of education, a scarcity of job-training opportunities, a scarcity of jobs, and a scarcity of housing, as well as substance abuse and inadequate substance abuse services, mental health problems, and a lack of adequate mental health services, all make re-entry into the community difficult. “The Iron Law of Corrections is that the vast majority of individuals return home,” Mr. Patrick told the Forum. “What do we want people to have when they get home?” he inquired. “We want them to work and make a fair salary, to support their families, to be better parents, and to be better neighbors.” Of the 2.3 million individuals detained in the United States, around 700,000 return home each year, yet 44 percent are re-arrested over the next three years. Having a job that pays a livable wage is a significant signal that a person will make a positive transition from jail to home, and education is vital in attaining this. Offenders with a greater level of education are less likely to be arrested or jailed again. According to a RAND research, inmates who obtained post-secondary education in jail have a 4% lower chance of recidivism and a 13% higher chance of finding a job than similar persons who did not get post-secondary education.

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