Out of the cell : exploring the framing of prisoner reentry in Illinois corrections policy

The significant rise in the prison population in the United States has resulted in a severe shock to the correctional system. Specifically, from 1980 to 2004, the population of offenders incarcerated in state and federal prisons has increased almost five-fold from 315,974 to 1,494,216. As a result, 650,000 prisoners are released back into society each year, placing additional stress on already distressed communities. The ability of released prisoners, or ex-offenders, to successfully reintegrate into society depends to a large degree on the programming made available to them prior to and after their release. However, the cadre of programming offered by prison systems is constrained by the frames that policymakers use to talk about the issue of prisoner reentry. Understanding the frames that people construct are the key to grasping the philosophical foundations underlying current legislation as well as to proffering new policy solutions that are relevant to all stakeholders. This thesis documents both the historical and current frames surrounding the issue of prisoner reentry in Illinois corrections policy, particularly as it relates to the city of Chicago, which takes in 20,000 ex-offenders each year from the Illinois prison system.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Harris, Jonathan R., M.C.P. Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Langley Keyes.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/40121

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/40121