Definition: a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior; especially : relapse into criminal behavior
Below is a cut from an article by Paul Heroux to help explain the reason for
Sanctified Hope Home for Women.
Reducing Recidivism: The Challenge of Successful Prisoner Re-Entry
There is a large percentage of recidivism or returning to prison or jail after release. Life is more difficult because it is hard to find a place to live that will take ex-offenders; difficult to find a job and proper drug treatment and medical care. The public opposes helping these ex-offenders stating facts like: why should we help them, no one helped me. Also, society is afraid these people will bump other people from jobs who haven’t committed a crime. The attitude of society is to just leave them locked up, because they deserved it. But keeping them locked up is so very expensive. We cannot eliminate recidivism totally, but non-profits and religious organizations have proven to be a big help to the re-entry challenges that the ex-offenders face.
Paul Heroux worked in a state prison and a county jail. He holds a Master’s in Criminology from the University of Pennsylvania and a Master’s in Public Administration from Harvard.