"Ex-Imprisoned Homicide Offenders: Once Bitten, Twice Shy?" The Effect of the Length of Imprisonment on Recidivism for Homicide Offenders

• NCJ Number: 240338
• Journal: Homicide Studies Volume: 3 Issue: 16 Dated: August 2012 Pages: 259-279
• Author(s): Pieter E. Baay; Marieke Liem; Paul Nieuwbeerta
• Date Published: August 2012
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined recidivism patterns and the influence of imprisonment length for homicide offenders who had been convicted in the Netherlands.

Abstract

This study aims to examine recidivism patterns and the influence of imprisonment length for all homicide offenders who have been convicted in the Netherlands between 1996 and 2004. In addition, the authors tested whether imprisonment effects differed between homicide offenders with different characteristics. Analyses on 621 homicide offenders indicate that longer imprisonment systematically increases recidivism frequency, not recidivism speed. The authors found some indications that imprisonment length increased recidivism to a greater extent for offenders with an intimate partner, with a Western ethnic background and for offenders with a relatively shorter detention history prior to the homicide. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.