What Feeds Our Prison Populations?

• Impoverished Neighborhoods
• Chronic Unemployment
• Single or No Parent Households
• Homelessness
• The Drug Trade
• Failing Schools
• Lack of Role Models/Mentors
• Chaos/Violence in the Streets
• PTSD
• Self-Medication/Addictions
• Lack of Mental Healthcare
• Mandatory Sentencing
• Racial Disparities in Sentencing
• Insufficient number of well-qualified public defenders
• Culture of “out-of-sight, out of mind.”

Society makes it hard to stay out of prison once you’ve been in.

Factors Contributing to Recidivism

• Lack of transitional housing for those who cannot or should not go home.
• Employer reluctance to hire.
• Untreated mental health issues.
• Financial responsibilities beyond earnings.
• Lack of education and social skills.

Read more background information …