Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Beyond The Revolving Door: Reducing The Risks Of Recidivism So African American Male Youth Not Only Survive But Thrive, Kristy O. Yanney

College of Education Theses and Dissertations

This capstone project aims to reduce the recidivism rates for Black male youth. With 20 years of professional experience in law enforcement, and through the research and literature of this project, I have found that environmental influences contribute to the arrest, incarceration, and rearrest of African American juvenile offenders. These youth are often forced to figure out how to survive in environments that provide tremendous challenges. Adverse childhood experiences, the influence of gangs, poverty, rising rates of violence, lack of quality educational or employment opportunities, substance abuse, and negative family influences are some of the environmental factors that will be …

An Evaluation Of The County Of Santa Clara’S Reentry Alcohol And Drug Studies Peer Mentor Program, Sarah Oliveira

Master's Projects

In the United States, incarceration rates have increased dramatically over the last three decades, soaring above any other country. Significant factors contributing to the increase include changes in sentencing laws and policies that target drug-related offenders and prioritize punishment over rehabilitation. Strict sentencing laws have led to mass incarceration, which has caused severe prison overcrowding and led to the infringement of fundamental human rights in prisons (Gottesdiener, 2011).

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, approximately 600,000 individuals are released from federal and state prisons each year (Carson, 2018). In California, an estimated one in three adults has an arrest …