According to the National Institute of Justice, recidivism is defined as the illegal actions that take place over a three-year cycle after the release of an inmate, that resulted in rearrest, reconviction, or return to jail with or without a new sentence. Every year, the United States releases approximately 7 million people from jail and 600,000 people from prison. According to the criminal justice reform advocacy website RED, Georgia's recidivism rate is close to 50 percent.

Once they are released, an innumerable amount of people battle to become functioning members of society. Formerly incarcerated citizens have trouble finding employment, housing, and struggle with their health. Their criminal history hinders them from getting the jobs that they need to effectively support themselves. Also, state and federal benefits are stripped away from citizens who have certain convictions, according to RED, individuals with these restrictions lose access to public housing benefits, education assistance, and food stamps.

For formerly incarcerated individuals, reintegrating back into society can be challenging, and it can begin to take a toll on their health. According to RED, former inmates are at a higher risk of committing suicide as well as 129 times more likely to die of a drug overdose than the general public.

Being released from prison should exhilarating moment for an individual who has been incarcerated for any amount of time. Finding a home is also an exciting experience for most citizens, except those who were recently released from prison. According to USA Today, it is not unlawful for a landlord to discriminate against an individual solely because of their criminal history. Since a great deal of formerly incarcerated individuals have difficulty leasing apartments and buying homes, most of them resort to living with immediate or extended family members. If the ex-convict does not have a family to rely on, the only two options are homelessness or contributing to the illegitimate practices that initially put them in prison. According to Prison Policy, people who have been in jail are about ten times more likely to be homeless than members of the general population.

The First Step Act

In December 2018, Congress passed a criminal justice reform legislation, known as the First Step Act. According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), the First Step Act says that the Attorney General is to create a risk and needs evaluation framework to be used by the BOP to determine the risk of recurrence and criminogenic needs of all federal inmates. In order to meet their needs and reduce this risk, and to put inmates in recurrence prevention services and constructive practices. The act also requires the BOP to assist inmates in applying for and receiving federal and state benefits, including a social security card, driver's license or other standardized photo ID, and a birth certificate.

Recidivism is an ongoing issue in America that constantly oppresses citizens of color. While there have been statutes implemented to reduce the inflated recidivism rates, there is still a substantial amount of work to be done to rectify the criminal justice system.