Question

In 2-3 paragraphs, define and discuss recidivism. Which offenders have the highest risk to re-offend? (worth 10 points). Please respond to two of your classmates (worth 5 points each).

Answer 1

Recidivism is nothing but one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person's criminal behavior even after they have either experienced negative consequences of that behavior. It also refers to the percentage of former prisoners who are rearrested for a similar offense.

There are a number of policies that aim to reduce recidivism. Some of them include;

1. We should allow the current trends to continue without additional intervention
2. Arrange the Prisons with Maximum Security
3. Increasing the presence and quality of community-based organizations that provide post-release/reentry services

Characteristics of Recidivists

1. Age- A sizable proportion of recidivists are young or middle-aged, and they have become younger in recent years.

2. Educational Level- Recidivists’ educational level is generally on the low side. According to the investigation conducted in India, 94.7% of all recidivists are educated to middle or junior high school level only.

3. Sex- 99.1% of recidivists are male.

4. Occupation- Among recidivists, the number of unemployed and peasant class persons is huge, accounting for 86.7% of the total amount.

Recidivism by Offense Felony offenses are categorized into nine primary offense groups and they are assault, burglary, drug, manslaughter, murder, property, robbery, sex, and other. In fact, sexual recidivism rates range from 5 percent after three years to 24 percent after 15 years.The rates of recidivism for general crime are higher than those for sex crimes. but different types of sex offenders have different rates of recidivism

• Many sex offenders engage in both sexual and nonsexual criminal behavior.
• Many sex offenses are never reported to authorities.

For example, Bachman (1998) found that only about one in four rapes or sexual assaults were reported to police.

Sex offenders generally do not appear to commit future offenses, in general, at a higher rate than do other offenders. However, they may have higher levels of recidivism for their crimes than other types of offenders exhibit for their particular offenses.