Recidivism: Exploring Why Inmates Re-Offend in a Prison Facility in Ghana

ABSTRACT

This study explores the causes of recidivism among inmates in a prison facility in Ghana. Eleven men who had served two or more terms of imprisonment, five prison officers who were in charge of rehabilitation, five community members, and two police officers (in Ghana, most offenses are prosecuted by the police) who had prosecuted at least three recidivists were interviewed. Based on the analysis, results suggest that the inmates were reincarcerated due to structural deficiencies (perceived overcrowding and inadequate rehabilitation in the prison), situational factors (perceived weak family ties during and post-prison), and personal or lifestyle factors (perceived laziness and reluctance to change on the part of some inmates). The limitations of the results have been highlighted and the need for future research has been discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Recidivism
• prison
• incarceration rate
• rehabilitation
• offenders

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).