Also, figure 1 shows that the number of offenders reincarcerated for violating parole or other release conditions increased more than sevenfold, from 28,817 in 1980 to 209,782 in 1998. Nonetheless, the reincarcerations shown in figure 1 represent an increasing proportion of all prison admissions. Further, regarding past criminal history, table 4 shows that 61 percent of federal inmates and 76 percent of state inmates who were in prison in 1997 had been sentenced before, and 40 percent of federal inmates and 55 percent of state inmates in prison in 1997 had served prior prison sentences. More than 7 in 10 (73 percent) of the federal inmates and 8 in 10 (83 percent) of the state inmates reported having used illegal drugs before their current admission. About one of every four federal and state inmates—25 percent and 24 percent, respectively—had participated in a drug treatment program since their admission. Reintegration Addressed in Three Phases of Federal Correctional System

Generally, in the federal correctional system, an inmate’s preparation for reintegration is to encompass all three phases of the system. For example:   Drug treatment. Work training. The goal of the interagency initiative is to help states and communities work together to improve offender supervision and accountability and essential support services in order to enhance community safety through the successful reintegration to the community of high-risk or special-need offenders released from state prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, and local facilities housing state prisoners. Applicants may apply for awards under both solicitations. Trends in Prisoner Releases and Recidivism

To determine trends in the number of inmates released from federal and state prisons and the extent of recidivism, we used data collected or published by two agencies—the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) and the Bureau of Prisons (BOP). No grant funding would be provided to establish state and local reentry courts under S. 304.
What GAO Found

The number of federal and state inmates released to communities increased more than threefold from 1980 to 1998. Since 1980, recidivism rates have been about 40 percent. Within the group of recidivists, the number of offenders reincarcerated for violating parole or other release conditions rose more than sevenfold from 1980 to 1998. Furthermore, such reincarcerations represent an increasing proportion of all prison admissions. The Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS) 1997 survey found that most federal offenders (62 percent) were imprisoned for drug offense convictions, and almost half (47 percent) of all state offenders were incarcerated for violent offense convictions. Also, the majority of inmates in both correctional systems--federal inmates (73 percent) and state inmates (83 percent)--had some history of illegal drug use. BJS' survey also showed that 27 percent of both federal and state exit cohort inmates participated in vocational training programs, and 11 percent of federal and 2 percent of state exit cohort inmates worked in prison industry jobs. In addition, 33 percent of the federal inmates and 36 percent of the state inmates participated in residential in-patient treatment programs for alcohol and drug abuse. In the federal correctional system, an inmate's preparation for reintegration generally encompasses three phases--the prerelease, halfway house, and community supervision. Under the Offender Reentry Initiative, federal discretionary grants would be provided to help states and communities work together to improve offender supervision and accountability--and essential support services--to minimize public safety issues posed by high-risk or special-needs offenders released from state prisons, juvenile correctional facilities, and local facilities housing state prisoners. A solicitation for grants is expected by the end of May 2001, and awards are expected to be made by the end of September 2001.