Rehabilitation or Punishment: A Policy Analysis of Incarceration and Recidivism in Cook County
Introduction
Author: Roma MacPherson Wilson
Department: UIC Institute for Policy and Civic Engagement
Advisor: Dr. Joseph K. Hoereth, IPCE
Abstract: The United States accounts for less than 5% of the world’s population but holds over 23% of theworld’s incarcerated individuals. Illinois has an incarceration rate of 433 per 100,000 people asof 2024 with a 3-year recidivism rate of 41.3%. This means that nearly half of individualsreleased from Illinois prisons end up returning to the correctional system within three years.These trends raise questions about whether Incarceration in the United States functionsprimarily as a punitive institution or a rehabilitative system.Using recidivism outcomes as a measure of effectiveness, this research implements a policyanalysis of the Sheridan National Model Drug Prison and Reentry Program and a review ofrecidivism research in Cook County and Illinois to evaluate how successful in-prisonrehabilitation programs are in improving post-release outcomes.Program evaluations claim 40% lower recidivism rates for participants of the program, but thisnumber is largely dependent on factors such as program completion and access to post releaseservices. This study argues that rehabilitation services like Sheridan can be effective when in-prison treatment is used in tandem with post-release support. however, ultimately the impactof such programs is reliant on continuity of care and external socioeconomic conditions in CookCounty. These results suggest a need to reconsider the goals and structure of correctionalpolicy in the United States, with greater emphasis on reentry support systems, community-based alternatives to incarceration, and continuity of care after release.
Keywords: incarceration, recidivism, rehabilitation, reentry, public policy