NCJ Number
241909
Date Published
January 2013
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This report from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation provides information on recidivism rates for inmates paroled from State correctional facilities after serving a sentence of life with the possibility of parole.
Abstract
This report from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation presents findings on recidivism rates for inmates paroled from State correctional facilities following completion of a sentence of life with the possibility of parole (lifer parolees). Recidivism rates for lifer parolees were compared to those for parolees with determinate sentences in two ways: rates at which parolees were convicted of new crimes and rates at which parolees were returned to prison. The study found that more than 50 percent of inmates paroled after completion of a determinate sentence were convicted of a new crime within 3 years following release, compared to only about 5 percent of lifer parolees who were convicted of a new crime within 3 years following release. In addition, the study found that only 13 percent of lifer parolees returned to prison within 3 years following release from prison, compared to 65 percent of parolees who had received a determinate sentence. The report also provides demographic characteristics of both groups of parolees. These characteristics include the following: 95 percent of lifer parolees were male, almost 25 percent were 55 or older, almost 34 percent were Black/African-American, and all were committed for a crime against a person; for parolees with determinate sentences, 90 percent were male, 35 percent were under 30 and only 2.7 percent were over 55, about 26 percent were Black/African-American, and only 23 percent were committed for a crime against a person. These findings indicate that offenders who receive a sentence of life with the possibility of parole have lower rates of recidivism compared to offenders that receive a determinate sentence. This report used data on inmates released from California correctional facilities in fiscal year 2006-2007. The inmates were followed for a period of 3 years to determine their recidivism rates for either a new conviction or a return to prison. Tables and figures