More than two-thirds of defendants sentenced to state and county prisons in Massachusetts have had prior incarcerations, according to new analysis presented in this policy brief. Comprehensive change is necessary to reduce this elevated level of repeat offending and improve public safety.
The third installment in a series exploring various components of reform, this paper focuses on reentry, presenting data to describe the dimensions of repeat offending in Massachusetts, summarizing the extensive literature on evidence-based reentry programs, and reviewing recent experiences in other states working to improve reentry services.