Revolving Race around Recidivism and Prison LaborZACK CAIRNS

Research Question How does the implementation of state prison work, educational, and vocational programs in OR, MN, WA affect recidivism rates and post-incarceration employment of racial groups?

Hypothesis States with lower recidivism rates will have more whites imprisoned than states with high recidivism rates.

Why these programs? Prison labor

◦ Federal Prison Industries (FPI) or UNICOR employs over 12,000 inmates to produce goods and provide services in exchange for developing qualities necessary for employment after prison

Education◦ Basic (ABE), secondary (GED), and post-secondary

Vocational◦ Training employment skills as well as trade-specific skills

Work Release◦ Inmates with 8 months remaining in their sentence may qualify for employment outside of prison and

are housed in alternate detention centers

Why these states? Minnesota: highest recidivism rate - 61.2%

Oregon: lowest recidivism rate - 22.8%

Washington: recidivism rate increase of 10% between 2002-2007

Why racial groups? Racial disparities persist beyond sentencing policy

Felon disenfranchisement

Questions the efficacy of our policies

Competing Views of Incarceration

◦ Robert P. Weiss◦ “In exchange for enhanced labor rights, prisoner-workers are offered a category of citizenship lower than accorded free workers […]

This confronts prisoners in the“postmodern” penitentiary with a dilemma familiar to their free-world counterparts in the penal circuit: Stick to idleness and isolation, or work at hyperexploitative social production.”

◦ Hadar Aviram◦ “The focus on private actors as the bogeymen of American incarceration belies a naïve understanding of neoliberal politics and a

gross underestimation of the extent to which everyone—private and public actors alike—respond to market pressures and conduct their business,including correctional business […].”

Intervening Actors Private Companies

Legislators

State Prisons

Government Agencies

Minnesota State population: 5,420,380

◦ White: 86.2%◦ Black: 5.7%◦ Hispanic: 5%◦ American Indian: 6.5%

◦ Prison population: 9,986

Racial Disparities

Vocational Program – Affordable Homes Program (1998-2008)

◦ 350 person work crew program managed by Minnesota Department of Corrections in order to construct affordable housing, cut state costs, and train inmates

◦ Eligible prisoners – adult males◦ Exhibit good behavior◦ No violent actions/disturbances in past six months◦ Paid $1.00-$1.50/hr

Program Results

Work Release Programs

3,570 offenders were released between 2007-2010

Washington State population: 6,971,406

◦ White: 81.2%◦ Black: 4%◦ Hispanic: 11.9%◦ American Indian: 6.5%Prison population: 18,233

Racial Disparities

Work Release Programs Study 1: Statewide findings of work release

◦ Hispanics were less likely to apply for work release than whites or blacks

◦ 40% of black and Hispanic were returned to prison compared to 25% white

Study 2: Impact of work release on recidivismOffenders with a prior history of cocaine were more likely to receive infractions

Education WA legislators prioritize PSE

Increased funding to the Early Childhood Education Assistance Program in 2006 rather than invest in a new prison

Oregon State Population: 3,930,065

◦ White: 88.1%◦ Black: 2%◦ Hispanic: 12.3%◦ American Indian: 1.8%Prison Population:

Racial Disparities

Prison Labor The Prison Reform and Inmate Work Act (Measure 17) passed in 1994 requiring all inmates to be at work or enrolled in training programs 40-hours a week

Inmates are assigned to work crews and work alongside with state departments and communities

Develop practical skills and a strong work ethic

Work Release For many states, technical violations are the reason for reverse reentry rather than new crimes

SB 267 requires evidence-based practices for drug and alcohol treatment

Analysis Sociocultural

◦ Minnesota – Racial disparities in prison populations and vocational programs

◦ Oregon – History of inmate labor

Socioeconomic◦ Washington – the decision to invest in education over prison construction

is telling of how legislators look for cost-effective solutions◦ Minnesota – employment favors a small segment of the prison population

*Political Institutions Oregon – SB 567, Measure 17 ◦ Post-prison policies are unforgiving in other states◦ Oregon - Referendum allows for testing new ideas Legal Institution◦ Washington – Work release programs favor whites◦ Minnesota – Work release programs disfavor minorities

Recidivism

Bibliographyhttp://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/cats/law_enforcement_courts_prisons.html - US census

http://www.sentencingproject.org/doc/publications/rd_stateratesofincbyraceandethnicity.pdf

file:///C:/Users/Zack/Downloads/NorthcuttBohmert_Duwe_2011_CJPR-libre%20(1).pdf

http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0347.pdf

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/MN.html

http://www.prisonpolicy.org/profiles/WA.html

http://www.indiana.gov/idoc/files/Work_Release1.pdf

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file:///C:/Users/Zack/Downloads/SSRN-id2492782%20(1).pdf