Statewide, Iowa — The number of Iowa prison inmates who’re caught committing another crime after they’ve been released from prison has been dropping.
Iowa Department of Corrections director Beth Skinner has the data for the past two state fiscal years.
That would be for the state’s fiscal year that ended June 30th. At one point, more than four out of 10 people being sent to a state prison had been sentenced to a correctional facility before. It’s fallen to 37 percent, which Skinner says ranks Iowa among the top 10 states at reducing returns to prison.
More than 600,000 people are released from state prisons in the United States each year. Within three years two out of three of them are arrested and more than half are incarcerated again. A small portion of Iowa inmates have been sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison. Ninety-five percent of the people sent to an Iowa prison have a release date and Skinner says ensuring a period of parole is a priority.
Six out of 10 people who enter prison have a substance abuse issue and Skinner says the goal is to ensure those with short sentences go into a treatment program when they’re released. Prison entry evaluations include mental health screening as well and up to 70 percent of inmates have some sort of mental health diagnosis.
About 30 to 40 percent of people sentenced to Iowa prisons do not have a high school diploma. The state prison system has programs that help inmates earn a GED, a college diploma or skilled worker certificate while they’re in prison. Skinner says having a degree dramatically reduces the likelihood they will wind up back in prison.
