Trends in Recidivism Among Felons Sentenced to Probation

• NCJ Number: 128638
• Author(s): S C Greenstein
• Date Published: 1990
• Length: 6 pages
• Corporate Author: New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services
• Sale Source: NCJRS Photocopy Services
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Technical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Recidivism patterns of felons sentenced to probation in New York State during fiscal years 1984-85 through 1988-89 were studied using information from official records.

Abstract

The research used a variety of recidivism measures, including time to first arrest, first felony arrest, first felony drug arrest, first violent felony arrest, first felony or misdemeanor convictions, first felony conviction, first felony drug conviction, and first prison sentence. Results showed that nearly all the measures showed similar trends over time and similar differences among subgroups. The short-term recidivism rates increased substantially during the study period. The recent increase appears to be due mostly to an increase in the recidivism rate among felony drug probationers. Thirteen percent of the felony drug offenders were rearrested within 3 months of their sentence to probation, and 45 percent were rearrested within 15 months, compared to 11 percent and 34 percent for probationers convicted of other felonies. Recidivism patterns also differed by region, race, sex, age, and prior criminal history. Figures