Thankful for a second chance, he dedicates himself to living a changed life.
He gets a job and finds legal ways to support his family.
And yet, in just a few short years later, he commits another crime and returns to jail.
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For many prisoners, this is a familiar story.
Returning to prison for illegal acts is called reoffending.
The likelihood of reoffending is called recidivism.
It’s important to understand why a person may be more susceptible to repeating criminal acts.
Knowing why can help officials who offer rehabilitation services in prisons.
It can also affect programs that are available to prisoners when they are released.
Factors That Impact Recidivism
What makes a person likely to become involved again in criminal behavior?
Experts say theres not a simple answer to those questions.
You have to look at a person holistically to figure out if theyre likely to re-offend.
A person’s past criminal history is indicative of future violence.
A person’s past criminal history is indicative of future violence.
This wasn’t entirely their fault at times.
Measuring recidivism using just one or even just a handful of factors is not effective.
Either way, people understand that the tendency to re-offend is the problem.
The hope is to find solutions that can make a positive difference.
Here are a few strategies to make that happen.
He didn’t trust me and over the year we built trust and rapport.
He was one of the only people I saw get released and did not return, Dr. Dobson states.
Putting practical plans into practice can be just the help that someone needs.
Collateral Consequences Resource Center.A Radical New Approach to Measuring Recidivism Risk.
