Now a countertrend is gathering force, part of an unfolding transformation in the way the criminal justice system deals with repeat offenders. After punishment has been meted out and time has been served, political leaders, police officers, corrections officials, churches and community groups are working together to offer so-called re-entry programs, many modest in scope but remarkable nonetheless.

The question is whether Rhode Island has the political will to expand its investment in programs that reduce the likelihood of recidivism after inmates return to society -- and whether other states will follow suit, or continue with the failed policies that incarcerate first and deal with the consequences of that incarceration later (or never). Most of those sent to prison (at enormous cost to the taxpayer) will eventually be released. With little hope of finding legitimate employment, with little support from families that have scattered or drifted away during their years behind bars, and with housing options that assure residence in crime-ridden neighborhoods, their return to crime is almost inevitable. Providing meaningful help upon release prevents crime at less cost than a new prison sentence imposed after the crime is committed.

This should be a win-win policy, but state and federal legislators often fear being tagged "soft on crime" if they advocate abandoning the failed policies that have made the U.S. one of the world's leaders at locking up its residents. The Times article provides hope that reason might yet prevail.

"The goal now is to see if you can rehabilitate lives instead of just locking them up," said Gov. Donald L. Carcieri, a Republican, using words that once may have seemed politically risky. Mr. Carcieri has directed state agencies involved with education, drugs, mental health, housing and other issues to work with current and former prisoners.

Following an example set by Connecticut, Rhode Island has pledged to reinvest any savings from reduced prison populations in new aid for departing inmates.

Mayor David N. Cicilline of Providence has assembled a re-entry council, bringing together the police chief, religious leaders, businessmen and other community leaders. The council seeks to offer aid to every offender returning to the most affected neighborhoods, like South Providence.

In Washington, in another sign of the shifting national mood, the Second Chance Act, a bill to increase federal financing for re-entry programs, is moving through Congress with strong bipartisan support and the endorsement of the White House.

With its joining of public agencies and community groups, Rhode Island is part of a movement that is taking hold in dozens of states, said Debbie A. Mukamal, director of the Prisoner Reentry Institute at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York.

Yet in Rhode Island, as elsewhere, money and facilities, especially to support people once they return to the community, have not caught up with the new goals.