Oregon's recidivism rate lowest in nation? Not so fast

Oregon came out ahead in a state-by-state study, but comparing recidivism rates can be misleading

by Emily Green | 5 Jan 2017

In corrections, the best measure of success is generally agreed upon to be the recidivism rate, or the rate at which people reoffend after their release.

In Oregon, the Department of Corrections uses the percentage of inmates who are convicted of a new felony within three years of their release to count recidivism. Among the most recent group of parolees to reach the three-year mark, 24.6 percent were convicted of a new felony within three years of their release from state prison.

In national comparisons, this makes Oregon appear to have one of the best rates in the nation, but comparing recidivism rates can be misleading.

For one, some states count recidivism as the percentage of parolees who are arrested or sent back to jail or prison for any reason. In the only state-to-state study of recidivism rates done to date, The Pew Center compared the rate at which parolees were returned to prison. Oregon came out ahead, but only because in Oregon, parole violations get you a bed in jail, not prison like many other states. So technical violations were not counted, explained Kelly Officer, a senior research analyst at the Criminal Justice Commission.

According to the CJC, the state agency responsible for tracking crime statistics, 29.6 percent of inmates released from Oregon state prisons between January 2011 and July 2013 were convicted of a new misdemeanor or felony within the first three years of their release – and 42.3 percent were arrested.

If that many offenders are finding themselves in handcuffs within three years of their release from state prison, Oregon may want to ask itself if it could be doing things better. And, as the Marshall Project pointed out in a report titled “The Misleading Math of ‘Recidivism,” those numbers only account for people who committed crimes within three years of their release – and got caught.

FURTHER READING: Inside Oregon's prison workforce: Exploitation or opportunity?

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Inside Oregon's Prison Workforce, Oregon prisons, recidivism, Emily Green

Oregon State Penitentiary laundry facility — Inmates of the Oregon State Penitentiary sort laundry. The laundry service is one of 28 businesses operated by Oregon Corrections Enterprises inside Oregon’s state prisons.
Photo by Joseph Glode

INSIDE OREGON'S PRISON WORKFORCE

Are prisoners in Oregon exploited for corporate gains while making slave wages working menial jobs, or are they gaining skills that will help them succeed after their release?

Part I: Exploitation or opportunity?

Oregon’s prisoners work in four different capacities: for the Department of Corrections in jobs needed for a prison’s daily operation; in a variety of work-training programs; on DOC-run work crews; or for Oregon Corrections Enterprises, a semi-independent state agency created to put inmates to work.

At Oregon State Penitentiary, entry-level workers in Oregon Corrections Enterprises' laundry facility earn about $70 to $80 a month — nowhere near minimum wage. But even if the Department of Corrections wanted to pay inmates minimum wage, it couldn’t afford it. Oregon’s prisons couldn’t operate without their underpaid inmate workers.

Jamie Pierce, 40, said he worked various jobs, “anything from line server to scullery, which is washing dishes, to floor crew,” during the three times he’s been incarcerated. When asked if he gained any skills from these DOC jobs, he said, “Absolutely not.” However, that changed when he moved into management in the laundry facility. “I feel like if I was given that skill my first time, maybe I wouldn’t even be here this time,” he said.

(Read more)

Part II: Education and training programs

Education assessment is one step in the initial intake process for all inmates. As of 2014, of those who entered prison without a high school diploma or equivalent, 67.1 percent were released having earned a GED.

However, with a statewide prison population of nearly 15,000 inmates, education programs are few and far between. GED and adult basic education programs are standard fare at all 14 of Oregon’s correctional facilities. Beyond that, however, inmates are left with few options. Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, the state’s only women’s prison, offers the widest range of courses, including a hair salon and a barista training program. But at other facilities, there isn’t much available to provide inmates with an education that can help them succeed outside of prison.

One of the biggest roadblocks to expanding education programs, as with many state-run programs, is adequate funding.

(Read more)