Prison rehabilitation and community re-entry programmes implemented during incarceration or in the transitional period serve as significant mechanisms for facilitating justice-involved individuals in their post-release adaptation. This systematic review summarises various types of rehabilitation and re-entry programmes in prisons and in the community, and assesses their effectiveness in reducing recidivism and improving social reintegration among incarcerated and recently released justice-involved individuals. The database searches yielded a total of 2,333 papers, of which 34 studies were included in the review. A majority of the studies addressed the domains of psychosocial health, access to healthcare services, vocational training, parenting, and relationship skills. Overall, the review indicated that psychosocial and health interventions reduced recidivism while vocational interventions demonstrated positive effect on behaviour but mixed results in reducing recidivism rates and improving the scope for social reintegration. The study recommends adequate consideration of the needs and characteristics of the cohort of justice-involved individuals, as well as specific societal factors, to develop and implement interventions that ensure the continuity and positive long-term impact of these rehabilitation programmes.
Plain Language Summary
A Systematic Review of Prison Rehabilitation Programmes
Prison rehabilitation and community re-entry programmes play a crucial role in enabling justice-involved individuals in their post-release adaptation. This systematic review summarises various types of such programmes and assesses their effectiveness in reducing recidivism and improving social reintegration among imprisoned and recently released individuals. The database searches yielded a total of 2,333 papers, of which 34 studies were included. A majority of the studies focused on psychosocial health, access to healthcare services, vocational training, parenting, and relationship skills. Overall, the studies indicated mixed results with only a few reporting a positive impact of such programmes in reducing recidivism rates and improving the scope for social reintegration.
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