Out of 104 prisoners who were released - how many returned to prison? The data is revealed

A pilot program by the National Authority for Community Security in two cities, one Jewish and one Arab, succeeded in reducing the recidivism rate to a few percent, compared to 42% of released prisoners who are rearrested within five years. Minister Ben Gvir ordered the expansion of the model to ten additional localities.

A pilot program by the National Authority for Community Security in two cities, one Jewish and one Arab, succeeded in reducing the recidivism rate to a few percent. This compares to a national figure of over 42% of released prisoners who are rearrested within five years of their release, as shown by studies in the Ministry of National Security. As part of the pilot, which lasted about a year and a half, mayors sent personal letters to prisoners inviting them to take part in a community rehabilitation program. Contact with the prisoner was established during their incarceration through a TALEM (Support, Guidance, and Monitoring) coordinator, who provides individual support and helps with realizing rights, job placement, and psychosocial care. Hagai Barosh from the Authority explained that the model aims to address the population of prisoners released after serving their full sentence, about 80% of all criminal prisoners, and in the absence of a responsible party in the day after release, its contribution to increased violence and crime in the community is significant. The Authority noted that a 2016 Israel Prison Service study found no difference in recidivism rates between prisoners at Hermon Prison, a drug-free prison specializing in rehabilitation, and prisoners in other prisons, leading to the conclusion that investment in in-prison rehabilitation is insufficient. Following the positive results, Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir ordered the expansion of the model to ten additional localities and said he would consider making it a national model based on the outcomes.