“A recidivist is a person who is released from prison and who later commits another crime, or reoffends, such as a parole violation or the commission of a new crime. California defines a recidivist as a person who commits a new crime or violates parole within three years of his or her release from custody. Recidivism rates by state vary, but California is among the highest in the nation. According to a 2012 report by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, more than 65 percent of those released from California’s prison system return within three years. Seventy-three percent of the recidivist committed a new crime or violated parole within the first year. These numbers have not changed significantly over the years. Also, those convicted of property crime are much more likely to recidivate than those convicted of serious crime. Such high recidivism rates represent a failure of the prison system to achieve its supposed goals of deterrence and rehabilitation. A 2019 report released by the State of California acknowledged CDCR’s attempt at rehabilitation has failed 62 percent of the inmates released in 2017-2018.” (California Innocence Project, emphases mine)
A few resources for further reading on recidivism.
Hersch, Joni and Meyers, Erin E., The Gendered Burdens of Conviction and Collateral Consequences on Employment (April 9, 2019). Journal of Legislation, Forthcoming; Vanderbilt Law Research Paper No. 19-19. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=3397309
Alper, Mariel, Matthew R. Derose, and Joshua Markmann. “2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-up Period (2005-2014).” US Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Statistics, May 2018, https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/18upr9yfup0514.pdf.
Prison Policy Initiative page on recidivism and reentry: https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/recidivism_and_reentry/
Question for discussion: In Orange is the New Black, what do we learn from Piper about prison life that helps contextualize such high recidivism rates?
