Are Recidivism Rates Increasing?

Sarah Jenkins
Sarah Jenkins
• • 6 min read

A U. S. Sentencing Commission Report on Recidivism Among Federal Prisoners, Released on January 24, 2019, Showed That Nearly 64% of Prisoners Who Had Been...

Are Recidivism Rates Increasing?

A U.S. Sentencing Commission report on recidivism among federal prisoners, released on January 24, 2019, showed that nearly 64% of prisoners who had been convicted of violent offenses

violent offenses
In the United States, for example, violent crime rates have fallen by over 50% in many major U.S. cities since these rates peaked in the early 1990s, often referred to as the "Great Crime Decline". In New York City, these rates had dropped by 75% from the early 1990s to 2010.
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were arrested within eight years compared with about 40% of those convicted of nonviolent offenses.

Is recidivism on the rise?

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California's recidivism rate has averaged around 50% over the past ten years.

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Has recidivism increased or decreased?

We find: Overall recidivism rates have declined for felony offenders. The share of felony offenders rearrested for any offense within two years declined somewhat from 68 percent to 66 percent over the four-year period. The two-year reconviction rate for any offense dropped substantially from 41 percent to 35 percent.

Sarah Jenkins

Sarah Jenkins

Senior Technology Editor & AI Specialist
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Sarah Jenkins is a veteran tech journalist with over 12 years of experience covering artificial intelligence, mobile innovations, and digital ethics. Her insights have appeared in leading technology publications worldwide.