The need for support of reentry services in Montana
The U.S. incarcerates more people than any other country in the world, with nearly 2 million people behind bars each year. It is estimated that the U.S. spends $80 billion on mass incarceration annually according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics. However, a 2021 Prison Policy Initiative report, demonstrates government and justice-involved families actually pay closer to $182 billion every year.
Over 600,000 people return to their communities from state and federal prisons each year, with an additional 9 million people cycling through local jails. Although, reentry services have continued to be considerably underfunded in comparison to the billions spent to keep people behind bars.
The transition from prison to life in the outside world is an important period in the steps to a person’s successful reentry. Yet, the stark reality is many incarcerated individuals are released back into society without being properly rehabilitated and with a severe lack of resources. The consequences of inadequate reentry support causes formerly incarcerated individuals to frequently face barriers to accessing basic human needs such as housing, education, employment, and healthcare.
These challenges can also, in part, prevent returning citizens from appropriately addressing risk factors for reoffending, ultimately setting them up for failure.
The state of Montana incarcerates a higher percentage of its people than any other democratic country in the world, with a rate of 789 per 100,000 people.
State research has shown that most formerly incarcerated people do not go back to prison for a new crime but rather for a violation of their probation or parole conditions.
Indigenous people in Montana are not only arrested and incarcerated at a disproportionately higher rate than white people, but they are also more likely to return to prison for a technical violation. State data shows that Indigenous people comprise about 7% of the Montana state population but are at least 20% of the state prison population.
A Rippling Effect on Families and Communities
The lack of support for reentry programs has rippling effects, extending beyond those formerly incarcerated, touching the lives of families and communities, reverberating across generations. Nationally, 1 in 2 adults have an immediate family member who has been incarcerated. Family member incarceration is even more pervasive for communities of color and low-income families.
Families of incarcerated people often shoulder the overwhelming financial difficulties, loss of emotional support, and social stigma of having a loved one in prison. This family dynamic can cause feelings of stress, strain to their relationships, and instability to their lives that can last long after their loved ones return home.
Mass incarceration exacerbates poverty and inequality, affecting millions of Americans.
The Need for Investment in Reentry Programs
Although many of the challenges encountered by returning citizens are similar across the U.S., individuals in rural communities, such as Montana, are faced with additional barriers to successful reentry.
Reentry service providers are often few and far between in rural communities. Therefore, with the compounded obstacles of fewer resources, limited public transportation, and difficulty finding accessible employment, many returning citizens in rural communities struggle to connect with potential providers to seek the help they need during the critical period following their release. This not only can affect an individual’s ability to adhere to the conditions of their supervision, but can also impact their accessibility to receive the treatment or healthcare they need.
Now more than ever, it is important that we address these challenges, by improving access to healthcare, community support, housing, employment and transportation for the successful reintegration of returning citizens in Montana. It is crucial that we invest in reentry programs that address the needs of formerly incarcerated individuals in order to foster more resilient, equitable, and just communities.
MTIP is currently exploring solutions for these challenges, and will be providing Montanans with ways to take action to support returning citizens in the weeks to come!