Research suggests that the majority of criminals who are sent to prison commit crimes when set free. What are the reasons? What can be done to solve the problem?

It is true that a large proportion of criminals are known to re-offend after they have been released from

prison

. There are some important reasons for

this

return to a life of crime, but there are solutions which could mitigate the problem. I believe that there are two principal reasons why many criminals who have served their sentences, commit

further

crimes when they are released back into society.

Firstly

,

prison

is popularly regarded as an institution whose purpose is to punish wrongdoers. There is a public outcry against being soft on crime, and many argue that only the full weight of the law will act as a deterrent, even though

this

is obviously not working.

As a result

, few resources are allocated to

prison

programmes which will help ex- offenders to make a fresh start in society.

Secondly

, prisons are overcrowded and often violent places, in which the most hardened

criminals

Suggestion

criminal

influence and intimidate other inmates, and form networks to plan future crimes,

such

as a criminal

prison

gang called the PCC do in Brazil. Steps should be taken to solve these problems. One solution is reintegrating offenders back into the community. Programmes which provide vocational training or academic study opportunities must be implemented in order to give prisoners a chance of rehabilitation and to find work. Some universities in the UK and the USA,

for example

, offer degree programmes to enable offenders to gain qualifications. Another solution is to segregate the most dangerous convicts, in order to prevent intimidation and bullying in prisons, from which offenders are released as even more expert criminals. In conclusion, while important reasons for the rate of re-offending can be identified, some steps must be taken to implement workable solutions.