RISE Reentry & Recidivism
RISE has always understood that to experience reentry is to experience crisis.
Incarcerated individuals are often released into area communities with little to no financial support, emotional support, mental‑health support, or support for substance‑use addictions. This lack of a comprehensive reentry assistance program means they must navigate reentering society on their own, often leaving them in crisis mode and at a higher likelihood of reoffending.
RISE believes that reentry support is crucial to the success of its released graduates.
Support must be tailored to individual needs, must be swift, and must be available around the clock. Most importantly, reentry support must begin prior to release and be part of a robust reentry assistance program that includes reentry life skills and practical resources.
During 2021, the RISE reentry team was able to serve 201 Graduates either pre-release or post release. RISE was able to provide over 1300 reentry services during 2021.[3]
In 2021, RISE adjusted its organizational definition of recidivism to match that of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services (NDCS). Recidivism is defined as a return to NDCS for a new sentence or for a parole violation (law or technical). NDCS provides RISE with official recidivism and reentry data bi‑annually, and this data is then used to update RISE’s internal database and to calculate recidivism statistics. [1]
It is important to remember that RISE recidivism rates cannot be compared to NDCS recidivism rates, as there are variations in populations and no controls for variables in place.[2]
RISE recidivism data indicates that more than 94% of recidivism is related to technical and/or law parole violations, while less than 6% is related to new felony convictions and incarcerations. RISE was able to examine the causal behavior of parole violations, and with the limited data available, 100% of recidivism has been related to substance use. Substance use may not be the direct reason why a person was reincarcerated, but it is often involved in the individual’s life, causing distorted and illogical thinking that leads to poor choices and ultimately to parole violations.
This data could be examined even further and developed into a possible theory that recently released individuals are turning—or returning—to substance use to cope with the stressors related to reentry and thus engage in anti‑social behavior resulting in recidivism. By providing targeted reentry life skills, employment reentry programs, and housing reentry programs, RISE aims to reduce these stressors and support a smoother transition for those reentering society.
