NCJ Number
59324
Date Published
1979
Length
80 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT DISCUSSES RECIDIVISM AT THE ADULT CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION IN RHODE ISLAND FROM 1972 THROUGH 1977, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE 1974 AND 1975 COHORTS.
Abstract
THE TOTAL RECIDIVISM RATE (TRR) IS THE PERCENTAGE OF INMATES RELEASED DURING THE STUDY PERIOD WHO WITHIN 3 YEARS WERE CONVICTED OF OFFENSES RESULTING IN INCARCERATION, SUSPENDED OR DEFERRED SENTENCES, OR PROBATION, OR WHOSE PAROLE WAS REVOKED. THE PRISON RECIDIVISM RATE (PRR) IS THE PERCENTAGE OF RELEASED INMATES WHO WITHIN 3 YEARS RETURNED TO PRISON OR JAIL. FOR THE 1974 COHORT, TRR WAS 60.2 PERCENT AND PRR WAS 47.5 PERCENT. FOR THE 1975 COHORT, TRR WAS 40.1 PERCENT AND PRR WAS 53.4 PERCENT. YEAR TO YEAR DATA INDICATES A GRADUALLY INCREASING RECIDIVISM RATE UNTIL 1974, FOLLOWED BY DECREASES FOR THE 1974 AND 1975 COHORTS. IT APPEARS THAT THE RECIDIVISM RATE FOR THE 1977 COHORT WILL PROBABLY BE LESS THAN RATES FOR THE 5 PREVIOUS YEARS. MUCH OF THE RECIDIVISM OCCURRED WITHIN 1 YEAR OF RELEASE. OVER FOUR-FIFTHS OF RECIDIVISTS WERE INCARCERATED WITHIN 2 YEARS. RECIVIDISM TENDED TO INCREASE WITH INCREASES IN SENTENCE LENGTHS. THE PRR WAS HIGHER FOR YOUNGER THAN FOR OLDER INMATES, FOR BLACK INMATES THAN FOR WHITE INMATES, AND FOR THOSE SERVING SECOND OR SUBSEQUENT SENTENCES THAN FOR THOSE SERVING A FIRST SENTENCE. RECIDIVISM VARIED WITH TYPE OF OFFENSE; SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES WERE OFTEN DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS OFFENSE. NEW OFFENSES WERE MORE LIKELY TO CARRY LONGER THAN SHORTER SENTENCES. NUMEROUS TABLES SHOWING BREAKDOWNS OF THE DATA ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)