Mass incarceration has been going on in the United States since the 1980’s, disproportionately effecting underprivileged communities and trapping them in a vicious cycle of crime and poverty. While there are programs in place designed to reduce recidivism and provide opportunity, they do not go far enough in giving returning citizens the best chance to thrive. A new course needs to be charted in order to help those stepping back onto the streets, and those that should have never left them.
Cooperative first programs could help alleviate some of the systemic issues present in the revolving door of the American prison system. There are many benefits of cooperative institutions in helping underprivileged communities, but action needs to be taken to create systems that cater specifically to the needs of returning citizens. In this article, we’ll examine the pitfalls of the current system and highlight a few examples of cooperative programs that are revolutionizing the transition from incarceration to home.
Unemployment and Recidivism
The American prison system is yet another example of an institution broken in a way that causes more harm than good. Over 2 million citizens are imprisoned at any one time, constituting the largest prison population in the world by far.
The correlation between income inequality and crime rates is strong, showing that economic instability is a major factor in mass incarceration. The high cost of bail is one reason for this. A study by prisonpolicy.org shows us that in 2020, over 550,000 people were behind bars that had not been convicted of a crime, and with the median cost of bail around $10,000, it’s easy to see why so many are held without conviction. The financial and social costs of a prison sentence are high, meaning communities with little opportunity for upward mobility are hit harder by incarceration. Upon their re-entry into society, returning citizens face hardships from higher unemployment rates, ostracization, and high court fees, reducing the likelihood of those communities to raise themselves out of poverty.
Within the astronomical number of inmates incarcerated in the US, statistics show that more than 60% of them will return to prison within 3 years, and 76% will return in 5 years. The likelihood of reoffending is due to many factors; high legal financial obligations, reentry back into old lifestyles, strict parole and probation rules difficult or impossible to adhere to, the list goes on. In the search for a solution to this, one factor seems stands to stand out in the reduction of recidivism rates, jobs. Quality jobs to be more precise, are essential in keeping returning citizens from reoffending. One study found that higher wages have an impact on decreased recidivism rates, while lower wage jobs during difficult economic times have the opposite effect. This shows that quality jobs are important and reduce the likelihood of a return to crime due to stressed financial situations.
How Cooperatives Can Help
Solutions to mass incarceration in the United States are many; they range from community supervision, to eliminating mandatory minimum sentences, and even releasing of non-violent criminals. While all these proposed solutions may have their merits, there is a solution that can not only have an impact on mass incarceration by reducing recidivism rates, but can help build wealth, and thus reduce economic driven crimes in underprivileged communities overrepresented within the prison system.
From Inmate to Worker-Owner
In the search for quality jobs for returning citizens, worker-owned co-ops have the ability to provide them with gainful employment and the opportunity to further their career by becoming part owner of their own business. Current job placement programs focus mainly on finding work for re-entry, but focus little on the long-term prospects of said job. Cooperatives can provide the career solution that is needed to keep citizens from reoffending. Worker co-ops generally have higher wages, lower turnover rates, better benefits, and inclusion in operation of the business; combined with the needed structure that comes with daily work and positive influences within the workplace, co-ops are a no brainer for keeping retuning citizens on the straight and narrow.
One way to go about utilizing cooperatives for re-entry is to create a program designed to place returning citizens into already well-established cooperatives. This program would work with local co-ops to place inmates on work release into low entry jobs with the opportunity to earn their way to becoming worker-owners. Coordination between a dedicated co-op re-entry program and local cooperative organizations such as the Philadelphia Area Cooperative Alliance, Vermont Employee Ownership Center, and Cooperation Jackson, would be essential.
Providing Resources to Help Inmates Create Their Own Worker-Owned Cooperative
A cooperative organization in Puerto Rico is paving the way for worker ownership starting inside prisons. In 2003, Cooperativa Arigos became the world’s first cooperative that allowed inmates to become members. Comprised entirely of prisoners, the co-op sells art that the prisoners make through exhibitions. Just as in other co-ops, members get a say in the decision making and share profits made from sales. If reducing recidivism is the goal, Cooperativa Arigos should serve as a model for the rest of the world. According to an article about the organization on sharable.net, only 6% of the co-op’s members have reoffended.
Cooperative organizations within prisons would do wonders for rehabilitation by giving prisoners the right to take control of their livelihoods even behind bars. They would teach them responsibility, inclusion, and democratic principles; and would potentially set them up to be release into a better situation than when they were incarcerated. Inmates too often are released from prison with no prospects and mountains of legal fees. With the ability to become cooperative members behind bars, build wealth, and have structure in their lives, returning citizens can be rehabilitated, and not just punished.