Risk Factors of Recidivism: Lessons from Central Prison in Kumasi, Ghana

Abstract

Recidivism is a major problem faced by all countries in the world and entails a tendency to relapse into a previous behavior (criminal behavior in the context of this study). Using a qualitative approach, this study examined the risk factors of recidivism in Kumasi Central Prisons. Purposive sampling method was espoused to gather data from thirty prison inmates and key informants including prison ministry evangelists, prison officers and families of ex-offenders. The study found inadequate support from family, stigma by society, lack of job opportunities, lack of income and accommodation as the most prominent risk factors of recidivism among prison inmates in the Kumasi Central Prisons despite the important roles played by Christian churches through their prison ministries. The study therefore among others recommends that prison ministry must go beyond the prison walls by eliciting the active participation of family, community and society in the physical and spiritual care for the ex-offender.