NCJ Number
133944
Date Published
1991
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This report presents summaries of two studies that focused on factors related to recidivism among offenders conditionally released from prison in 1986 and among offenders sentenced to probation in 1983.
Abstract
Recidivism was defined as the commission of offenses that led to a new sentence of probation or imprisonment. The 395 released prisoners had an overall recidivism rate of 57 percent, but those aged 25 or under and those between 26 and 30 had high recidivism rates if they had previously been imprisoned. Among the 278 probationers, who were a random 10-percent sample of the probationers of 1983, the recidivism rate was 60 percent during the 6-year followup period. Offenders aged 20 and under had a recidivism rate of 74 percent, compared to 40 percent for those aged 31 and over. Among the recidivists, 29 percent committed a new offense within 3 months of the 1983 sentence and 50 percent did so within 6 months. Results indicated the need for improved supervision strategies to reduce early recidivism, especially among young offenders. Tables