ASSOCIATE Magazine FBINAA Q3-2025

High recidivism rates are a problem across the United States, contributing greatly to public safety concerns. Over the last 18 years, many government initiatives have fo cused research efforts on recidivism and identifying what works best for successful reentry into society. According to the Bureau of Statistics, from 2012 to 2017 the United States saw a 71 percent reincarceration rate within five years post release (Durose & Antenangeli, 2021). The Council of State Governments studied recidivism rates across the states from 2008 to 2019 and found that the recidivism rate across the United States in 2019 was about 27 percent (CSG, 2024). Discrepancies in rates are due in part to defining recidivism, whether that is reincarceration, rearrest, or reconviction, as well as differences in state courts and community supervision programming. However, research notes that though the numbers are different, recidivism is a notable concern across the board. REENTRY PARTICIPATION BY LAW ENFORCEMENT AS A TOOL OF COMMUNITY-LED POLICING: AN APPROACH TO CRIME REDUCTION EMILY STILLWELL

M ajor contributors to the high recidivism rate are the barriers in the community that prevent successful reentry of of fenders. The stigma associated with having a criminal record can create issues across a variety of community contexts, limiting job opportunities and housing options and shrinking social networks and community involvement. Another contributing factor is the strategy and structure of the prison system in the United States, which is geared toward punishment and not necessarily reha bilitation (Roberts, 2021). The prison system has intervention programming that has shown success in addressing some of these concerns, such as education assistance, but most offenders do not receive these resources (Mourao et al., 2025). This leaves commu nity supervision and community resources to provide assistance after release from incarceration.

REENTRY PROGRAMMING Reentry programming is assistance that is provided to of fenders after release from incarceration. This programming is pro vided by community supervision or other community resources and can include employment or education services, substance abuse services, mental health services, housing assistance, and more. There is wide-ranging application of these services across the United States in an attempt to provide better resources for successful reintegration.

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