Recidivism Brings Concern to Local Judiciary

GOLDEN TRIANGLE, Miss. (WCBI) – Back again.

Mississippi is one of the worst states when it comes to repeat offenders, and courts want to know why.

When the Mississippi Department of Corrections measures prisoners who make a return trip, their numbers don’t look so bad.

But for years MDOC used a different measuring stick than the rest of the country.

In fact, It is possible that as many as 70% of inmates released from Mississippi prisons go back.

The imprisonment rate of Mississippi is among the worst in the country, and the people behind bars are a part of a crime cycle.

“It is getting rarer and rarer for me to be dealing with somebody who is a true first-time offender,” said Circuit Judge, Jim Kitchens.

35% of Mississippians released from prison are back behind bars within 3 years.

Circuit court systems put the fault on the lack of rehabilitation.

“I think the recidivism rates are too high, and MDOC and our system need to do a better job of rehabilitating people so they don’t re-offend,” said District Attorney, Scott Colom.

It’s not that programs aren’t being offered; Judge Jim Kitchens says they aren’t the right programs.

“I’ve seen programs come and go, and I’ve seen our numbers still stay pretty much where they are,” said Kitchens.

“I think we need effective, successful programs. We need to make sure that we do the right research about what programs are successful at rehabilitating people and fund those programs,” said Colom.

For these programs to be truly successful, Kitchens believes both sides of the rehabilitation process need to put in the work to keep a released prisoner from re-offending.

“It’s got to begin with the individual,” said Kitchens. “They’ve got to get tired and not want to live that life and take the affirmative steps. It’s work. I mean, people who are addicted to drugs, if you want to be sober threre’s no good reason why you can’t be sober in the Golden Triangle. There’s a lot of help, but it doesn’t mean somebody can do it for you. You’ve got to do it.”