Citation URL: http://www.urban.org/JamesPLynch

Contrary to the popular image that reentry is a wave of released prisoners about to enter society, the growth of the prisoner release population has leveled off, after the dramatic rise during the 1980s, and the wave has already hit. Inmates returning to society now may be more difficult to reintegrate than their predecessors, as they are more likely (1) to have failed at parole previously; (2) not to have participated in educational and vocational programs in prison; and (3) to have served longer sentences, which attenuate ties to families. A substantial proportion of returning prisoners, largely drug offenders, are likely to "churn" through the correctional system, going from prison to supervision to revocation and back to prison multiple times. Comparatively few neighborhoods in most large cities must accommodate the bulk of returning prisoners. Reentry should be considered in concert with sentencing policies and corrections practice that determine who goes to prison, how long they stay, and how prepared they are for reintegration.

This report evaluates the effectiveness of sentencing reform implemented since the early 1980s. These reforms have been dominated by mandatory penalties for violent offenders, repeat offenders, and drug traffickers. The authors conclude that the beliefs on which public support for these reforms rested were largely false, that the evidence of their effectiveness at reducing crime is mixed, and that the increases in incarceration that resulted have been distributed unevenly.

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