NCJ Number
103049
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 28 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1986) Pages: 385-396
Date Published
1986
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This study examined recidivism among ex-offenders residing in a halfway house in St. John's, Newfoundland, and determined the efficacy of the Canadian Recidivism Index (CRI) in measuring recidivism among study subjects.
Abstract
The 172 males in the study sample had stayed at Howard House -- a halfway house offering counseling, recreation programs, and life skills and employment counseling -- for a minimum of 30 days between April 1977 and May 1981. Most of the subjects were young, single, and poorly educated. The average subject had been convicted of six previous offenses on three different occasions, and more than half the sample had been previously incarcerated. Most were primarily property offenders, followed by drug offenders. The CRI measured reconvictions for criminal offenses in the 2 years following departure from Howard House and the severity of the sentences received. Over two-thirds of the sample (67.4 percent) were not reconvicted of a criminal offense within 2 years of their release from Howard House. For the recidivists (32.6 percent), the average length of time before reconviction was 8 months. The recidivism rate compares favorably with two other Canadian studies which used the CRI for a similar 2-year followup period. The CRI was an effective instrument for the study. 2 tables and 55 references.