The article does not deal with ways in which recidivism could be reduced through any actions that prison staff could take or with any of the very substantial information on why there are so many people in prison!

In a review of the book “Dreams from the Monster Factory: A Tale of Prison, Redemption and One Woman's Fight to Restore Justice to All” by Sunny Schwartz, with David Boodell in the New York Review of Books for June 11 2009, Helen Epstein points to the discrimination against people of colour and mentally disturbed people who disproportionally populate jails in America and most other countries. Scwartz has been running a suite of programs under the title Resolve to Stop the Violence Project, or RSVP at the San Bruno prison in California. These have significantly reduced the recidivism rate. The programs are based on restorative justice in which prisoners confront the behaviour which led to their crimes and the consequences. There are a number of similar programs in several countries. Post-release RSVP “graduates” are linked up with youth violence prevention groups and campaigns.

Simply reporting on recidivism rates, whilst of some value, won’t get us any further than leagues tables for school end of year tests improve education outcomes. It suggests replacement of staff or perhaps privatisation. As a number of commentators have already implied, we need better than that!