America’s Criminal Justice Reform & Recidivism Problem: New York Prison Inmates Provided With Ivy League Education

President Barack Obama has been pushing to pass bipartisan criminal justice reform in Congress. The plan, however, was shoved into the back burner due to the presidential campaign trail taking center stage in the country. Regardless of the delay, New York is pursuing the plan and is now making progress.

Taconic Correctional Facility in Bedford Hills, New York has sought the help of professors from Ivy League universities as part of its prisoners' rehabilitation program, CBS News reported. Almost 900 inmates in New York state prisons are enrolled in an education program that involves professors from 22 colleges and universities such as Bard, Columbia, Cornell, and Vassar. One of the subjects being taught is philosophy.

NY Governor's Efforts To Expand Education Program

New York's education program will continue to expand despite state lawmakers' efforts to halt the plans. Gov. Andrew Cuomo's request for more criminal justice reform funding was stopped by lawmakers, but he sought the assistance of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance. A total of $7.5 million in criminal forfeiture money was diverted to accommodate inmate students.

When asked why he supports Cuomo's efforts, Vance said reforming prisoners will benefit the community and ensure the public's safety. Criminal justice reform could potentially reduce America's recidivism problem as well.

Recidivism is a prisoner's relapse into criminal behavior after undergoing sanctions or interventions. This year, more than 600,000 prisoners will return to American communities and around one-third of those people will likely be rearrested during the first year out of jail, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. Half will be rearrested within three years, and over three-quarters in the course of five years, the Bureau of Justice Statistics noted.

Recidivism Drops In New York

In New York, 39 percent of prisoners will likely commit another crime after they get out of jail. The education program, however, helps the recidivism rate drop to 16 percent. New York's education programs offer associates, bachelors, and Master's degrees, which can all help prisoners achieve better quality of life once they return to their communities.

New York's criminal responsibility is 16 years old. In March 2015, Cuomo launched a campaign that aims to raise the age of criminal responsibility in the state.

Jonathan Lippman, chief judge of the New York State Court of Appeals, said raising New York's age of criminal responsibility would lower crime statewide and would save taxpayers' money. He added that imprisonment will ruin a 16- or 17-year-old's life before they have a chance to contribute to the society, according to CBS News.

Other states have also made efforts to reform prisoners. California's San Quentin Prison offers the Prison University Project while Texas has the Prison Entrepreneurship Program. Both of these programs saw positive recidivism results.