Police Officer Preparation & Law Enforcement Resource - Archive

Can be rehabilitated? I don't really believe that they can. Of course there are always exceptions to the rule, but I think once the majority of violent criminals have it set in their mind that this will be a way of life for them before they even commit their first crime.

For the most part I don't think that they can. But there will always be some that manage to do so. BUT , they have a tough mountain to climb to prove it.

A lot of politicians think it works because it's so much cheaper than incarceration. In the 70's and 80's, Oregon focused on rehab and violent crime continued to climb until a mandatory sentencing law was passed for violent offenders. We went from 50 homicides a year in my city to less than 25 in three years after it was passed.

Depends on what you consider rehabilitation... If rehabilitation consists of a frontal lobotomy and the lopping off of hands and feet, I would say there's a good chance of success...

The chance of rehabilitation is VERY low. There is multiple factors involved with this, but the majority of the problems stem from a few things such as:

1. Poor surroundings. If the offender is placed right back in the position (or worse off) then he/she was prior to being convicted which makes it likely they are going to re-offend.
2. Drug addiction. This alone is the cause of many crimes, and some do not have the will power to stay clean very long. Sadly, I have seen this happen first hand and it's really sad.
3. Management. Some offenders claim they want to change, yet never really intend to.
4. Background. Many offenders have problems finding suitable work after incarceration. Many employers do criminal history checks now which dramatically reduces the available work for a offender. It's rather difficult to survive on minimum wage (i can vouch for that)

Last I knew the chances of someone turning their life around was like less than 5%. So I can go ahead and just say no, the chances are very very low.

There are a few western european countries that have shown a lot of promise in real rehabilitation programs. A couple of problems I see with that here. First, justice is an important goal, and rehabilitation can often seem like it is a denial of justice. Second, as someone else said recently...
Also, a Lieutenant in my office often jokes - "How do we rehabilitate people that were never habilitated to begin with?"

I'm sure some violent criminals CAN be rehabilitated. Picking them out and doing it would be expensive though, as would be the mistakes. That effort could probably best be spent with non-violent offenders.

Age is the best rehabilitation for most people. Oregon built an entire prison for men under 25 and put in all sorts of job training. They set it up where they could literally get free college educations while in the joint and it all did little or no good.

Now the buzz term is drug rehab as being the answer to all the problems. Trouble is, drug and alcohol rehab only works IF the person wants to give them up. Not many do. True addicts and alcoholics aren't willing to quit until they've lost all their willing to lose. And sometimes it's their life.

I wonder what the European countries do that's different? To me, it's a lack of ethics, morals and general empathy for other people that make up the criminal mind. I dunno what could change that?

So many great responses here, all actually!


A lot of politicians think it works because it's so much cheaper than incarceration. In the 70's and 80's, Oregon focused on rehab and violent crime continued to climb until a mandatory sentencing law was passed for violent offenders. We went from 50 homicides a year in my city to less than 25 in three years after it was passed.

Funny how harsher laws do act as deterrents, eh?


Depends on what you consider rehabilitation... If rehabilitation consists of a frontal lobotomy and the lopping off of hands and feet, I would say there's a good chance of success...

:smilielol5:


The chance of rehabilitation is VERY low. There is multiple factors involved with this, but the majority of the problems stem from a few things such as:

1. Poor surroundings. If the offender is placed right back in the position (or worse off) then he/she was prior to being convicted which makes it likely they are going to re-offend.
2. Drug addiction. This alone is the cause of many crimes, and some do not have the will power to stay clean very long. Sadly, I have seen this happen first hand and it's really sad.
3. Management. Some offenders claim they want to change, yet never really intend to.
4. Background. Many offenders have problems finding suitable work after incarceration. Many employers do criminal history checks now which dramatically reduces the available work for a offender. It's rather difficult to survive on minimum wage (i can vouch for that)

Last I knew the chances of someone turning their life around was like less than 5%. So I can go ahead and just say no, the chances are very very low.

All of your points are solid. Do you have a source for this 5% statistic? I'd like to read it, if there is one.


There are a few western european countries that have shown a lot of promise in real rehabilitation programs. A couple of problems I see with that here. First, justice is an important goal, and rehabilitation can often seem like it is a denial of justice. Second, as someone else said recently...

I'm sure some violent criminals CAN be rehabilitated. Picking them out and doing it would be expensive though, as would be the mistakes. That effort could probably best be spent with non-violent offenders.
I read that Italy & Spain, drastically decreased the amount of drug-related criminals/addicts in 10 years via a national rehab-like effort, but of course, those were typically non-violent criminals.


Age is the best rehabilitation for most people. Oregon built an entire prison for men under 25 and put in all sorts of job training. They set it up where they could literally get free college educations while in the joint and it all did little or no good.

Now the buzz term is drug rehab as being the answer to all the problems. Trouble is, drug and alcohol rehab only works IF the person wants to give them up. Not many do. True addicts and alcoholics aren't willing to quit until they've lost all their willing to lose. And sometimes it's their life.

I wonder what the European countries do that's different? To me, it's a lack of ethics, morals and general empathy for other people that make up the criminal mind. I dunno what could change that?

I do agree, age is the best chance at reform, but I see just as many older criminals in my area as the young ones. From what I recall about the program in Italy and Spain, they make rehab a community/regional effort. They really reach out to young kids and teens to educate them about drug abuse. Their efforts are highly organized and uniform throughout both countries.

Alas, I do not have the source. I sold that book back when I finished my first degree a few years back. I think it's probably still accurate give or take 1-2%. If it interest you, check out the MPRI. Don't take their math to heart though, I had many professors that worked in corrections who claimed these results may be skewed. Regardless, it does work, very little. lol

CORRECTIONS - Prisoner Re-entry (http://www.michigan.gov/corrections/0,1607,7-119-9741_33218---,00.html)

Alas, I do not have the source. I sold that book back when I finished my first degree a few years back. I think it's probably still accurate give or take 1-2%. If it interest you, check out the MPRI. Don't take their math to heart though, I had many professors that worked in corrections who claimed these results may be skewed. Regardless, it does work, very little. lol

CORRECTIONS - Prisoner Re-entry (http://www.michigan.gov/corrections/0,1607,7-119-9741_33218---,00.html)

That's okay about the original source, the link you shared had a PEW report that was pretty good. I find it interesting that only 7 to 8 percent of criminals in Georgia return to prison for a new crime. The rates are of course varied from state to state, I guess this is why the US has such high re-entry rates in comparison to countries like Italy or Spain for certain arrests; we have no uniform system of how to deal with criminals who commit certain crimes.