Executive Summary

Defining Recidivism

For this report, recidivism is defined as a return to prison. The return to prison may be a result of a new conviction or a violation of post-prison supervision.  The follow-up periods (typically reported as three years) are calculated from prison release date to the date of readmission to prison.

Changing Recidivism Rates

The last three-year release cohorts have shown slight decreases in three-year recidivism rates. These decreases are shown below:

• Inmates released in 2005 → 33.3% recidivism rate
• Inmates released in 2006 → 32.5% recidivism rate
• Inmates released in 2007 → 30.5% recidivism rate

Factors to be Considered

For 2003-2010 releases, some factors that influence an inmate's likelihood of recidivism include:

• Number of prior prison commitments
• More Priors → Higher Likelihood of Recidivating
• Whether the inmate has a supervision term after release
• Supervised → Higher Likelihood of Recidivating
• The inmate’s tested education level
• Higher Grade Level → Lower Likelihood of Recidivating
• The inmate’s behavior while in prison
•  More Disciplinary Reports → Higher Likelihood of Recidivating
• The inmate’s age at release
•  Younger → Higher Likelihood of Recidivating