How Often Do Criminals Reoffend?

It’s a fairly common phenomenon: a prisoner is released after serving time, they return to society… and then almost instantly they end up back in prison. In the U.S., this problem of reoffending criminals - recidivism - is a major obstacle to rehabilitating and reintegrating former prisoners into general society. But why does it happen? And can it be fixed?

How common is it though?

According to a study by the U.S. Department of Justice, police and authorities rearrest about 43% of formerly incarcerated people within a year of their release. After 10 years, the recidivism rate jumps to a staggering 82%.

Other studies place the rate of reoffending at 70% of criminals after five years of release, with the rate rising above 80% if the criminal has a juvenile record.

In comparison, Norway has a recidivism rate of 20% after five years.

Of course, there’s a difference between federal recidivism rates and state recidivism rates, which do vary wildly. Michigan in particular has invested heavily in reducing its reoffending rates and currently has a 23.6% rearrest rate for criminals released after five years.

When taken in context - the United States has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world and houses 25% of the world’s prisoners while its population makes up only 4.23% of the world’s - you can see why recidivism is such as issue. A huge population seems trapped in a cycle of crime and imprisonment.

But why does it happen?

There are many contributing factors at play with rates of reoffending among former prisoners. We already mentioned one above; the younger the offender, the more likely they will reoffend. Older first-time offenders tend to reoffend far less.

Additionally, the kinds of crimes criminals are imprisoned for can influence their reoffending. Surprisingly, murderers tend to reoffend far less than drug crimes and violent crimes like assault.

But those facts don’t answer why recidivism rates are so high. The answer may be that there aren’t great alternatives for those released from prison.

It’s hard for former prisoners to receive honest employment; often, those released from prison feel that crime is the only means of survival available to them. Others may feel that their lives outside of prison are bad enough that prison is the preferable option.

The lack of mental health services available to people in the United States also funnels struggling people into the prison system. More options to help those in crisis could help prevent people from ending up behind bars again.

Finally, reoffending rates tend to focus on rearrests, not on convictions or even trials. Because of this, we may only have part of the picture.

What can be done?

There is clearly valuable work to be done in understanding recidivism and offering solutions to decrease the rate of criminal recidivism. Funding for improved mental health services, especially in impoverished areas, can help keep former convicts from reoffending by providing the support they need. Additionally, a system of job counseling or a network of jobs available for formerly incarcerated people can help parolees land on their feet during an admittedly difficult transition period.

References: From the Desk of BJA November 2023 | Recidivism Rates in the United States versus Europe: How and Why are they Different? | A Second Chance: The Impact of Unsuccessful Reentry and the Need for Reintegration Resources in Communities | How common is it for released prisoners to re-offend? | Seven Things to Know About Repeat Offenders