Author: Travis, Jeremy
Title: Exploring the Role of the Police in Prisoner Reentry
Summary: One thing is certain for nearly all prisoners who are in state and federal custody: they will come back. Traditionally, the police have played little part in facilitating the reentry of prisoners into the community, both because the police have seen their role as limited to the surveillance of probationers and parolees for the violation of the terms of their release or the commission of new crimes and because of a historical lack of trust between organizations that work with returning offenders and law enforcement agencies. In this paper, the authors argue that police, particularly urban police departments, have a major role to play in prisoner reentry, in part because of high recidivism rates among returning offenders and because of their concentration in some of the poorest, highest crime neighborhoods. Greater involvement of the police in prisoner reentry can promote public safety through more focused problem-oriented policing efforts and increase police legitimacy, particularly in minority communities, through enhanced community policing efforts.
Details: Cambridge, MA: Harvard Kennedy School, Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, 2012. 24p.
Source: Internet Resource: New Perspectives in Policing: Accessed July 17, 2012 at:
Year: 2012
Country: United States
URL:
Shelf Number: 125659
Keywords:
Community PolicingPrisoner Reentry, Police Role |
