D. Release and recidivism 1. Most common ways inmates and released from prison a. Most inmates are released from prison at the discretion of a parole authority or under mandatory release laws. Mandatory release has begun to rival parole release in frequency of use. When inmates are released from prison, it is hope that they will not return to crime.
Studies show, however, that the rate of return to crime, or recidivism , is high.
Those studies call the deterrence and rehabilitation rationales into question. As a society, our expectations of what incarceration can accomplish are unrealistic.