Recidivism
Definition
The tendency of a person who has been convicted of a crime to reoffend. Measured differently across jurisdictions: by reconviction, by reincarceration, or by re-arrest within a defined follow-up period. Recidivism rates are the primary outcome measure for evaluating correctional programmes.
- Definition
- Tendency of a convicted person to reoffend
- Measures used
- Reconviction, reincarceration, or re-arrest
- Follow-up window
- Defined period set by the study or agency
- Primary use
- Outcome measure for correctional programme evaluation
Common questions
Why do recidivism rates vary so much between countries and studies?+
Different jurisdictions measure recidivism using different events, such as a new arrest, a new conviction, or a return to custody, and use different follow-up periods, so rates from one study are rarely comparable to another without matching definitions.
Does a low recidivism rate always mean a programme is effective?+
Not necessarily. Selection effects matter: a programme that only accepts lower-risk participants will show a lower recidivism rate regardless of its actual impact, so rigorous evaluations compare against a matched or randomised control group.
What is the difference between recidivism and desistance?+
Recidivism measures a discrete reoffending event within a follow-up window, while desistance describes the broader, often gradual process of an individual stopping offending over time, which recidivism statistics alone do not fully capture.
Related terms
- Base Rate
- The prior probability of an event or proposition before specific evidence is considered. In forensic inference, the base rate is the probability...
- Collateral Consequences
- The legal and social penalties that attach to a criminal conviction beyond the sentence itself, including loss of voting rights, ineligibility for...
- Comparison Group
- A matched group that did not receive a programme or sentence, used to isolate that programme's effect on reoffending from other causes...
- Criminology
- The scientific study of crime, its causes and distribution across populations, the operation of criminal justice institutions, and strategies for prevention and...
- Dark Figure of Crime
- The gap between the actual volume of crime and the amount recorded in official statistics. Crimes go unrecorded when victims do not...
- Desistance
- The process by which an individual stops offending, usually gradual rather than a single event, and typically tied to changes in routine,...
- Habitual Offender Legislation
- Statutes that impose registration, restriction or an enhanced sentence on a person with a defined number of prior qualifying convictions, including three-strikes...
- Incapacitation
- The justification for imprisonment that focuses on preventing crime during the sentence by removing the offender from society, regardless of whether their...
- Justice Reinvestment
- A policy strategy that proposes redirecting funds spent on incarceration toward community-based services, education, mental health treatment, and substance use programmes in...
- Mandatory Minimum Sentence
- A legislatively fixed minimum period of imprisonment that a judge must impose upon conviction for specified offences, regardless of individual circumstances. Mandatory...
- Mass Incarceration
- The large-scale increase in the use of imprisonment, producing incarceration rates far above historical and international norms. Most closely associated with the...
- Parole
- Conditional early release from a custodial sentence after a portion has been served. The released person remains under supervision and subject to...
Explained in these topics
- Corrections and the Criminal Justice System as a WholeReoffending after a prior conviction or correctional intervention. Measured variously as rearrest, reconviction, or reimprisonment within a defined period, typ...
- Criminology, Law, and Forensic Science
- Recidivism and Habitual OffendingA return to criminal behaviour, measured as a new arrest, charge, conviction or imprisonment after an earlier criminal justice contact.
- Sentencing, Prisons, and Mass IncarcerationThe tendency of a person who has previously been convicted of a crime to reoffend. Recidivism rates are widely used to evaluate the effectiveness of penal inte...