According to studies, most criminals are highly likely to commit criminal activities once again when their punishment period is over. From my perspective, this is mainly due to the adaptation of negative mentality from other inmates, which could be solved by ensuring proper education during that time.
Primarily, I hold the opinion that this case has been occurring mainly due to the negative mindsets people develop in jail. This is because, during jail time, people mostly spend time with other convicts, face heinous activities almost on a daily basis, and subconsciously learn dangerous tactics from their friends—all of which have the potential to instill criminal mindsets over a long period. Moreover, most often prisoners share their room with other long-term convicts; this time spent could also adversely affect one’s personality as their ideology is being shared constantly. Therefore, there could be many scenarios that might foster change in attitudes in prisoners and ultimately lead to them performing criminal activities once they get out.
However, I think that if proper education is maintained throughout jail time, it could reduce this problem to a great extent. This is because, by continuously getting taught by professionals and getting the chance to study meaningful books, most prisoners are highly likely to think positively and change themselves for good. Moreover, with proper training, not only can they become professionally skilled, but they can also become aware of their previous misdeeds by reflecting on their mistakes—all of which can contribute to instilling positive mentalities. Consequently, it is most probable that they would be motivated to change their attitudes when they get out, and ultimately crime would be reduced. “A notable example is the Chittagong jail, where the introduction of vocational and psychological training led to a reported 49% employment rate for prisoners after their release, with most of them not re-offending in the five years following their survey.
To recapitulate, I contend that change in attitudes in prisons is the main cause of reoffending for most criminals and necessary education could reduce this issue to a great extent.