Reintegration Key to Philadelphia Public Safety

Running head: REINTEGRATION KEY TO PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SAFETY 1
Reintegration Key to Philadelphia Public Safety
Name
Institution

REINTEGRATION KEY TO PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC SAFETY 2
Reintegration Key to Philadelphia Public Safety
Philadelphia has an overall crime rate that is 46% higher than the national average,
making it one of the most notorious and least safe cities in the U.S (Reported Annual Crime In
Philadelphia, 2017). For this reason, the law enforcement agencies have developed various
mechanisms to ensure law and order. One of these and the most effective interventions is the
reintegration program.
Reintegration is a key feature of public safety in Philadelphia (Consensus Group Report,
2016). This is because it provides for a more certain assurance that recidivists have changed their
behavior and have been incorporated as productive persons in the community. It focuses on
correcting the mindset and behavior of the offenders as opposed to the criminal system of
imprisonment, making it a more credible program. The criminal justice system is rooted on an
assumption that citizens will not be victimized by recidivists as it is believed that the offender
has learnt from the prospects of being in prison and would not want to be back there (Piquero,
2003). However, this is often not the case. As a matter of fact, instilling fear is not the best way
of changing ones character and that is why Philadelphia has pressed on this ideology and focused
on reintegration in a bid to ease crime rates.
Federal, state and municipal probation officers in the city of Philadelphia play a very vital
role in the facilitation of corrective behavior. The investigative function of federal probation
officers tasks them with looking into an offender’s criminal and personal history prior to
sentencing by the court. If the offenders do not heed to the bond terms in the course of the trial
process, the probation officer will invoke an arrest warrant to go out and try to apprehend them.
While fulfilling these duties, Chad Bookers –a state parole officer- admits to supervising juvenile
offenders by monitoring their social media and also serving warrants to arrest juveniles who did