NCJ Number
250890
Date Published
2017
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The User's Guide and the web page for access are provided for the U.S. Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics' (BJS') Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool - 2005 (PRAT-2005), which enables users to calculate recidivism rates of persons released from State prisons in 2005.
Abstract
This tool uses data collected by BJS on a sample of persons released from prisons in 30 States in 2005 and followed for a 5-year period. The PRAT-2005 defines "recidivism" as "an arrest for a new crime following release." The PRAT-2005 access web page enables the calculation of recidivism rates by selecting the "Analysis" tab. For the definition of the most serious commitment offense used in analysis, select the "Definitions" tab. The User's Guide for the PRAT-2005 provides step-by-step instructions with web-screen figures on how to access the PRAT-2005 and how to analyze recidivism data. Instructions are also provided on analyzing recidivism data, viewing results as cumulative percentages or annual failure rates, interpreting the output report for cumulative percentages, and interpreting the output report for annual failure rates. The guide also describes the sample design, data collection, and adjustment of sample weight. In discussing method, it advises that data from the PRAT-2005 should not be directly compared to data from the PRAT-1994 because of changes in the characteristics of the U.S. prison population, an increase in the number of States participating in the study, and improvements made to the Nation's criminal history records since the mid-1990s. Other topics addressed in the PRAT-2005 User's Guide are standard error computations, definitions, and contact information for assistance in using the PRAT-2005. 9 figures