NCJ Number
238665
Date Published
2009
Length
15 pages
Annotation
This study provided information on the recidivism rate in Vermont for domestic violence offenders.
Abstract
This study examined the rate of recidivism and criminal history typology of offenders in an effort to inform policymakers about who is likely to recidivate. Findings show that the overall recidivism rate was 53.5 percent; about 12 percent of domestic violence offenders are reconvicted on a new domestic violence offense within 3-5 years of eligibility; first time offenders, where the first conviction is for a domestic violence offense have the lowest rate of recidivism; and the most common first recidivism offense is a violation of probation. Data were collected from 1,926 defendants convicted of a domestic violence offense in Vermont from 2004 - 2008. Three hundred and nine defendants (16 percent) were convicted of a felony domestic violence offense and 1,617 (84 percent) were convicted of a misdemeanor domestic violence offense. With over 1,000 domestic violence incidents reported to the police each year in Vermont, it is one of the more prevalent crimes in the State. For men who are convicted of battering women, the Vermont Department of Corrections incorporates several batterer intervention programs aimed at changing the batterers behavior details are provided. Tables and charts