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The current prison population in California is approximately
172,000 , and 125,000 parolees are living outside prison walls.
90,000 parolees returned to custody in 2001 due to the commission of further crime
after release.
Although the Department of Corrections (CDC) provides several re-entry programs, they reach only a
small percentage of the paroling population and are not comprehensive in meeting the needs of the
individuals they are intended to serve. Most glaringly lacking is individual case management to
help each prisoner with his or her re-entry needs, specific to his or her situation upon release.
Another major flaw in the system as it currently functions is the critical time lag in the delivery
of services: even when adequate services are available, they frequently are not offered until a
least a week after parole, and this leaves the newly released with few choices for survival in
the interim. In addition, information about available services is often poorly disseminated,
and as a result some parolees are never able to access assistance which is, in theory,
available to them.
With careful planning and proper implementation of a comprehensive release
plan prior to parole, these gaps are eliminated and the rehabilitation process, which ideally
began in the prison, can continue uninterrupted throughout parole and beyond.
Any comprehensive model for such a program must include the active involvement of the California
Department of Corrections, the communities to which the incarcerated return, the public, and the media.
In addition, on-going evaluation of programs, in order to track the impact of such comprehensive
programs on recidivism rates, is also essential.