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Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders

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Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders Vienna International Centre, PO Box 500, 1400 Vienna, Austria Tel: (+43-1) 26060-0, Fax: (+43-1) 26060-5866, www.unodc.org Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders United Nations publication Printed in Austria CRIMINAL JUSTICE HANDBOOK SERIES *1255107*V.12-55107—December 2012—400 Cover images: Left and right: ©Photodisc.com, Centre: ©iStockphoto.com/theprint UNITED NATIONS OFFICE ON DRUGS AND CRIME Vienna Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders CRIMINAL JUSTICE HANDBOOK SERIES UNITED NATIONS New York, 2012 © United Nations, December 2012. All rights reserved. The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Publishing production: English, Publishing and Library Section, United Nations Office at Vienna. Acknowledgements The Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders has been prepared for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) by Vivienne Chin, Associate of the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy, Canada, and Yvon Dandurand, criminologist at the University of the Fraser Valley, Canada. A first draft of theIntroductory Handbook was reviewed and discussed during an expert group meeting held in Vienna on 16 and 17 November 2011. UNODC wishes to acknowledge the valuable suggestions and contributions of the following experts who participated in that meeting: Charles Robert Allen, Ibrahim Hasan Almarooqi, Sultan Mohamed Alniyadi, Tomris Atabay, Karin Bruckmüller, Elias Carranza, Elinor Wanyama Chemonges, Kimmett Edgar, Aida Escobar, Angela Evans, José Filho, Isabel Hight, Andrea King-Wessels, Rita Susana Maxera, Marina Menezes, Hugo Morales, Omar Nashabe, Michael Platzer, Roberto Santana, Guy Schmit, Victoria Sergeyeva, Zhang Xiaohua and Zhao Linna. The following UNODC staff also contributed to the development of the Introductory Handbook: Piera Barzano, Estela Máris Deon, Fabienne Hariga, Valérie Lebaux, Alexandra Martins, Philipp Meissner, Anna Giudice Saget and Miri Sharon. UNODC gratefully acknowledges the funding provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada, for the development, printing and dissemination of the Introductory Handbook and its translation into French and Spanish. iii This Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders is dedicated to prison and probation staff as well as service providers and volunteers working with prisoners and ex-prisoners around the world. v Contents Page Acknowledgments ..................................................iii I. Introduction ................................................. 1 II. Why invest in the social reintegration of offenders .................... 5 A. What is social (re)integration? ................................ 5 B. The importance of reintegration programmes .................... 7 C. Desistance from crime and the prevention of recidivism ........... 9 D. Addressing risk factors ..................................... 10 E. Reintegration programmes and the criminal justice system ......... 12 F. International standards ..................................... 13 III. Implementing succcessful reintegration programmes ................. 17 A. Developing a reintegration strategy ........................... 17 B. Programme development ................................... 23 C. Programme monitoring and evaluation ........................ 27 IV. Reintegration programmes in prisons ............................. 31 A. International standards ..................................... 32 B. Offender assessments . 36 C. Programming in prison .................................... 39 D. Pre-release programmes .................................... 52 E. Halfway houses and transition centres ......................... 61 V. Post-release reintegration and aftercare programme .................. 63 A. International standards .................................... 65 B. Aftercare and re-entry assistance ............................. 68 C. Offender supervision ...................................... 73 D. Early release programmes. 77 E. The role of the community ................................. 80 vii VI. Non-custodial social integration interventions ..................... 87 A. International standards: non-custodial interventions ............ 88 B. Non-custodial sanctions and the social integration of offenders ... 89 C. Probation and community supervision ....................... 91 D. Community service ...................................... 97 E. Social reintegration through diversion programmes ............. 99 F. Restorative justice and social reintegration ................... 101 VII. Reintegration programmes for child offenders .................... 103 A. International standards .................................. 104 B. Assessment ............................................ 108 C. Diversion ............................................. 108 D. Community-based measures .............................. 110 E. Custodial programmes for child offenders ................... 110 F. Early or conditional release ............................... 112 G. Post-release interventions and aftercare ...................... 112 VIII. Reintegration programmes for women offenders .................. 119 A. International standards .................................. 120 B. Gender-sensitive programmes ............................. 121 C. Release planning and post-release support ................... 125 IX. Reintegration programmes for specific groups of offenders .......... 129 A. Mentally ill offenders ................................... 130 B. Drug-dependent offenders ................................ 132 C. Elderly offenders ....................................... 132 D. Foreign nationals ....................................... 134 E. Members of ethnic or racial minorities and indigenous peoples ... 136 F. Members of gangs and criminal groups ..................... 138 G. Violent offenders ....................................... 138 H. Sexual offenders ....................................... 139 I. Prisoners with physical disabilities .......................... 141 J. Prisoners with learning disabilities and difficulties ............. 142 K. Prisoners with HIV/AIDS ................................ 143 L. Prisoners released after extended pretrial detention ............ 144 Annexes I. Glossary of terms ...................................... 149 II. Bibliography .......................................... 151 viii I. Introduction The present Introductory Handbook on the Prevention of Recidivism and the Social Reintegration of Offenders is part of a series of practical tools developed by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) to support countries in preventing crime, implementing criminal justice reforms and strengthening the rule of law. These tools are meant to assist them in implementing United Nations standards and norms in crime prevention and criminal justice.1 The Introductory Handbook emphasizes the crucial importance of effective programmes and measures to supervise and assist offenders and support their social reintegration for the prevention of recidivism. Incarcerated offenders face some very real challenges at the time of their release, and communities become unsafe when offenders with high risk and needs are released without adequate preparation, supervision or support. No crime prevention strategy is complete without effective measures to address the problem of recidivism. A comprehensive strategy must obviously take into account the fact that public safety is affected by the large number of crimes committed by individuals who have already faced criminal sanctions but have not yet desisted from crime. Without effective interventions, reoffending remains likely. Many offenders, even after a term of imprisonment, fail to reintegrate into the community as law- abiding citizens. This is why effective social integration or reintegration programmes are urgently required. They are essential means of preventing recidivism and increas- ing public safety, two very important social policy objectives in all countries. International standards and norms reaffirm that the rehabilitation of offenders and their successful reintegration into the community are among the basic objectives of the criminal justice process. In so doing, they emphasize the importance of interven- tions to support the reintegration of offenders as a means to prevent further crime and protect society. In fact, adopting measures to ensure the effective reintegration of prisoners into the community is arguably one of the best and most cost-effective ways of preventing their reoffending. Where prison and community resources exist and can be mobilized, the offender re-entry process can be more effectively managed so as to reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Programmes can be developed to link criminal justice or correctional 1These tools are available from www.unodc.org/unodc/en/justice-and-prison-reform/tools.html?ref=%20menuside. 1 2 INTRODUCTORY HANDBOOK ON THE PREVENTION OF RECIDIVISM AND THE SOCIAL REINTEGRATION OF OFFENDERS interventions with community-based
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