Breaking the Cycle of Recidivism

8/2/2019 Breaking the Cycle of Recidivism

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Professor Abdul Hakim Sarker, Ph. D

Institute of Social Work and Research

Criminology and Criminal Justice Masters ProgramUniversity of Dhaka


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Recidivism is an act of repeating anundesirable behavior time and again by a sameperson.

In case of criminal recidivism the incidence ofre-arrest and re-to imprisonment takes place toan extent that is a threat to law-enforcingauthority, including the judicial system.

Imprisonment is associated with social stigma.It is more so and reproachful in a tradition-bound society like ours.


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After release of a prisoner he/she finds difficulties inre-adjustments with the society; society is also notmuch concerned about how a person in such asituation can get minimum acceptance from thesociety.

The offender has paid the penalty for violating laws,deprived of liberty also for a certain period. In spite ofhaving undergone punishment due to him/her, he/sheis not exonerated from the wrong done and rejected bythe society.

Finding no way out he/she becomes hostile and goesfor cultivating friendship with criminals and gets moreorganized and involved in heinous crime ashabitual/career criminals.


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After-Care is defined as re-integrative servicesthat prepare out of home persons particularly the

juveniles for re-entry into the communityestablishing necessary collaborative arrangementswith the community.

Community arrangements will ensure the deliveryof required services and supervision.

Truly speaking, after-care process typically beginsafter sentencing and continues throughincarceration and an offenders release into thecommunity.


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After-care means a continuing treatment, physicalmaintenance, and social support of formerlyhospitalized or institutionalized clients duringextended convalescence or social transition back to thecommunity.

It also works in case of the status of juvenile who hasbeen conditionally released from incarceration as aresult of delinquency and placed under supervisedtreatment at home or in an institution.

Scope of after care services are not necessarily limited

to persons discharged from custodial or correctionalinstitutions, well extended to a variety of other groups(other institutions residents) experiencing difficultiesin coming back to normal life.


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Effective after care requires a seamless set of systems acrossformal and informal social control networks, also requiringa continuum of community services to prevent therecurrence of anti-social behavior.

Private-Public-partnership (PPP) processes need be

inculcated to expand the over all and concerted efforts inthis regard. Two key components of after care concept distinguish it

from the traditional juvenile justice model: (1) offenders must receive both services and supervision and

(2) they must receive intensive intervention while they areincarcerated, during their transition to the community, andwhen they are under community supervision.

The second one refines the concept of re-integrative servicesthat require before release as well as after release.


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Offenders released on expiry of sentencewithout supervision;

Whose parole/probation period have been

terminated and are in difficulties or needinghelp;

Offenders received suspended sentencewithout probation supervision;

Discharged offenders upon suspension ofprosecution; and others.


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Under PPP principle there are Probation and After-CareAssociations in every district possessing the philosophy thatcorrectional approach in stead of deterrent punishment canpermanently change life pattern and behavior of anindividual.

The Association is headed by District Magistrate, DeputyDirector, Social Service Department as General Secretary,including representatives from public front.

Probation and After-Care are the integral part of services tore-socialization and re-integration of an offender in thesociety.

After-care service was run with the introduction ofprobation Service in 1841, but not in Bangladesh.

In Bangladesh Probation of Offenders Act, 1960, lateramended as Probation Act,1964; After-Care Service was alsointroduced as non-statutory one in 1962.


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At the onset, two projects were taken in 1962 oneof which was (1) Probation of Offenders; and (2)After-Care Services under the erstwhile EastPakistan Directorate of Social Welfare.

With five centers (equipped with hostels andvocational training, Half-Way-House) for socialrehabilitation of released prisoners;

The officers were concerned with: (a) study thecases of prisoners who would be shortly released;

(b) help them adjust and live a normal life afterrelease; rehabilitate them through vocationaltraining and guidance; and (d) secure employmentfor them.


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After-Care caters services to prisoners in jailand released prisoners in the society.

Up to June,2007 through probation and after-

care services 6138 and 6649 persons wererehabilitated respectively; this is said to beprospective in respect of re-integrating of theoffenders in the society .

In 2009 and 2010, the beneficiary of after careservices are 19,689 and 3465 offendersrespectively and the rate is on increase.


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Institutional programs which primarily arrange forphysical care, certain psychological treatment andimparting of skills and attitudes for final economicand social rehabilitation.

After-Care Services essentially provide assistancefor securing suitable employment and help in allaspects of social rehabilitation.

DSS has identified three objectives: (1) provide

education for the prisoners in jails; (2) providelegal assistance for the destitute and needychildren; and (3)provide assistance for social re-integration and rehabilitation.


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First step for developing an After Care Model is tobuild program support at leadership and staff levels.

This process is for building community support whichis evident in the Intensive After Care Program (IAP) in

Colorado, Nevada, and Virginia because they havedeveloped community support garnering thecooperation of high level decision-makers fromrelevant agencies, managers of various operationalunits, supervisors, and the line staff.

The sites and several mechanisms to gain support, butthe most important factor is their decision to includemany people in planning and development stages ofthe program.


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Inter agency collaboration is a key strategy as itreconnects fragmented human services organizationsto create an efficient system addressing multipleproblems of incarcerated youth.

This collaboration form is durable, pervasiverelationship characterized by mutual benefits,interdependence with a formal commitment toworking together for specific purposes and outcomes.

Correction agencies may create linkages between in-prison job training and community-based employment

and job-training and between healthcare andcommunity based health care, and so on.

This is how IAP provides a useful illustration of how todevelop successful collaborative partnership.


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Thank You

Breaking the Cycle of Recidivism

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