Why do people go to prison and when released are out for a few months and then go back??

Inmates that are incarcerated for a long period become institutionalized. They get used to having no responsibility, they are fed, housed and generally don't have to take care of themselves. They are told when to wake, when to sleep, when to eat, etc. The controlling of one's routine sometimes removes the desire of a person to get back into society and cope. If there were more programs that focused on the inmate's reentry, focused on the vocational aspect of their reintegration back into the working world and educated them so that they had confidence in their ability to make a living without thinking about committing a crime again - we would go a long way towards ending the sadness of ex-inmates becoming inmates again.