Illinois state prisons can’t compute recidivism rates – WGNTV (Chicago)

Tracking recidivism rates are a key metric to determine whether the state is effectively rehabilitating convicted criminals or merely warehousing them. In fact, reducing recidivism is mentioned two dozen times in the Illinois Department of Corrections’s most recent annual report. However, IDOC officials acknowledge they have not been able to calculate the recidivism rate since 2022 due to what they describe as a computer “programming issue.”
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Mark F
7 months ago

It’s more like they know the recidivism rate is high, they just don’t want to confirm it….because all these liberal rehab programs are supposed to reduce crime and are not.

Deb
7 months ago

IL doesn’t want recidivism rates published. The rates will prove cashless bail and the Safe T act are total failures. IL is too stupid to realize that without consequences for criminal activity, crime will continue to escalate and law abiding citizens are held hostage by criminals. But we all know that Democrats put criminals above law abiding citizens. Maybe force CPS and CTU to actually educate students so they will have other options other than a life o crime as adults.

Publius
7 months ago

Why can’t we sleuth through federal, state, and private stats? A ballpark figure would shift the burden of proof to them.

The Craw
7 months ago

In 2016, Illinois saw 71,551 new convictions; of those, 70,610, or 89 percent, were reoffenders headed back to prison.”

https://www.prisonlegalnews.org/news/2019/feb/5/illinois-calculates-high-costs-recidivism/

Hello, Indiana!
7 months ago

IL and its thousands of entities can’t seem to do anything that might give the taxpayers a glimpse into what is actually going on around here. Any bets the glitch in tax bills is awaiting a CTU benefitting tax increase? That is what the whole lack of JB’s “transparency” he tooted his horn on Face the Nation is about.

Chercher
7 months ago

The “programming issue” is the Safe-T Act. They don’t want to compare recidivism rates before and after implementation. But refusing to let former criminals get help to steer them away from further criminal activity is undeniably stupid.

Rad
7 months ago

As a former Illinois official, I tried very hard to track outcomes in many state programs. Surprise! The pushback was so immense some departments opted to refuse funding rather than evaluate the outcomes of their programs. I quickly found out that government is about the process, not results. And I also discovered that Illinois is corrupt to the core.

Tom Paine's Ghost
7 months ago

Hmmm….”Can’t” or “Won’t”.

Fed up neighbor
7 months ago

No wrong, no computer programming issues IDOC you were told not to compute the annual report by whom, let me see Pritzker, na couldn’t be could it.

Michael Landek
7 months ago

Really, this is a computer programming issue? This is critical and important data that helps establish practices and protocols to reduce crime and return individuals to society with tools to navigate their lives. This data certainly must be available using other data storage methods.

Admin
7 months ago
Reply to  Michael Landek

When they don’t want to know it’s easy to find a way.

the doctor
7 months ago
Reply to  Michael Landek

Many people could figure this out with an Excel spreadsheet.

taxpayer
7 months ago
Reply to  Michael Landek

I have to agree that this would be a complicated issue. They’d have to look nationwide to see whether the reoffense happened elsewhere. They’d have to account for name changes or aliases. They’d have to define exactly what “reoffense” means.
But it certainly could be done. Even by one of those well-funded university research centers.

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