There is an undeniable statistic that proves people convicted of homicide have the lowest rate of recidivism out of all classes of felons. Usually, these individuals serve a great deal of time in a correctional facility, came to prison at a young age, and have since matured into responsible adults. But those aren’t the only reasons why “lifers” have such a high rate of success upon release.
If we take a closer look, we can see that time in prison doesn’t necessarily change people. That’s demonstrated by the revolving door of the criminal justice system. Equally, coming to prison at a young age doesn’t guarantee that you will cease criminal behavior, and maturity will only occur for those who choose to live a responsible lifestyle. So why do “lifers” consistently overcome their character defects and become law abiding citizens where others fail?
My over 30 years of experience in a correctional facility has taught me that the reason “lifers” are more effective at reentry is because their rehabilitation is more genuine, self-motivated, and self-directed. They are usually excluded from custody advancements. They are not reviewed by the parole board. They are prevented from taking certain programs due to sentence structure, and there are few requirements or programming expectations as a result. Additionally, they serve most of their lives in prison. However, in the face of all of this opposition, lifers facilitate programs, self-regulate, and develop into caring, empathic, and compassionate people. This is primarily accomplished because they choose to change for their own sake. Not because they will be released if they sit through required classes and fake their way through the system.
Lifers change because they have failed worse than anyone else possibly can and they want to show that they respect the loss of life. These individuals want to quantify that the mistakes of their youth do not define them. As a human, they strive to make up for the things that cannot be made up for. In this way, they actually change the person who committed such a horrible crime into a person who society would normally respect, had it not been for their failures.
That’s why a person given a life sentence is safe to release. That is why they have such a solid track record of success. They are the definition of rehabilitation and their lives are a testament to the power of perseverance.
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