"Stopping the Revolving Door," May 7 (W) at 3:30pm

[Daniel Lake]

*The Institute for Ethics in Public Life invites you to join us for
"Stopping the Revolving Door" at 3:30pm  on Wednesday, May 7, with special
guests Mr. Dana Poirier, Ms. Madeline Brassard, and Ms. Penny Darrah of the
**CV-TEC Corrections Education and Community Re-entry Program**.*

The United States has one of the highest incarceration rates globally. In
2022 the US incarceration rate was 541 per 100,000 population, with just
over 1.2 million inmates in federal and state prisons and nearly 600,000
inmates in county and municipal jails. One of the reasons the US
incarceration rate is so high is that the US has one of highest rates of
recidivism (the tendency of individuals convicted of crimes to reoffend
after release) in the world. According to research by the Bureau of Justice
Statistics
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://bjs.ojp.gov/library/publications/recidivism-prisoners-released-24-states-2008-10-year-follow-period-2008-2018&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1746639232701282&usg=AOvVaw1SRW_GkmzaldDtBe35s4Db>,
66% of prisoners released from 24 state prison systems were arrested within
three years, and 82% were arrested again within 10 years. While not all
were subsequently convicted, 61% of released prisoners returned to prison
within 10 years of their release.

This is a fundamental problem with the U.S. criminal justice system for
multiple reasons. Keeping inmates in jail or prison is expensive - costs
vary but generally range from $20,000-50,000 annually per inmate, for a
total of $80 billion annually
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.aclu.org/issues/smart-justice/mass-incarceration&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1746639232701282&usg=AOvVaw1dMwvXQiAFfBJ-dUDnGX-1>
in direct costs. When indirect social costs (impact on families, future
loss of job prospects for inmates, community impact, etc.) have been
included, the National Institute of Corrections
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://nicic.gov/weblink/economic-burden-incarceration-us-2016&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1746639232701282&usg=AOvVaw37v9759b_kl-Qrum6JKpRQ>
estimates that the real cost could be as high as $1 trillion annually.
Reducing the high recidivism rate would thus have major financial benefits
for the U.S.

But can anything be done about this? Yes, and we have a successful program
right here in Clinton and Essex Counties. The CV-TEC Corrections Education
and Community Re-entry Program has been successful at dramatically reducing
the recidivism rate of former inmates who are enrolled in the program.
While the normal 3-year recidivism rates for inmates from Clinton and Essex
county jails are 54% and 60%, respectively, those for inmates in the
program are 23% and 21%.

We welcome three staff members from the CV-TEC Corrections Education and
Community Re-entry Program - Mr. Dana Poirier, Corrections Coordinator, Ms.
Madeline Brassard, Adult Literacy Teacher/Case Manager, and Ms. Penny
Darrah, Adult Literacy Teacher -  to the Institute to discuss the program.
They will help us understand how the various components of the program -
education, workforce training, behavioral modification, and community
re-entry - work together to help former inmates rebuild their lives and
avoid the cycle of re-offending and re-incarceration so common in America.

Please join us in-person in the Thomas Moran Seminar room of the Institute
for Ethics in Public Life (Hawkins 233) or on Zoom.

Daniel Lake is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: "Stopping the Revolving Door"
Time: May 7, 2025 03:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/83608562951
<https://www.google.com/url?q=https://plattsburgh.zoom.us/j/83608562951&sa=D&source=calendar&ust=1746639232701282&usg=AOvVaw1jS36RNvHiWdBXlVpmd_8o>

Meeting ID: 836 0856 2951

This is the last Institute event of the semester. When we start to put
together our Fall schedule, events will be posted to the Institute's Program
and Events webpage
<https://www.plattsburgh.edu/about/centers/ethics-in-public-life/programs.html>
and on the Institute's public calendar
<https://calendar.google.com/calendar/u/1?cid=Y19sa245c3MxcjdscjExdmM0ZzNtMDlyaDUyb0Bncm91cC5jYWxlbmRhci5nb29nbGUuY29t>,
as well as announced via Email and the campus daily digests


-- 

*Daniel Lake*

(pronouns: he/him/his)

Assoc. Prof. of Political Science

Director, Institute for Ethics in Public Life

Hawkins 149A

101 Broad Street
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

Plattsburgh, NY 12901
<https://maps.google.com/?q=101+Broad+Street+Plattsburgh,+NY+12901&entry=gmail&source=g>

(o) 518-564-5833 <(518)%5645833>

*plattsburgh.edu <http://plattsburgh.edu/>*
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