Running Head : Final Research paper 1

Recidivism
Dustin Shropshire

Salt Lake Community College

Recidivism. A term most are familiar with in at least context. How likely is criminal to

continue committing crimes after release from incarceration/justice system. A more formal

definition “Recidivism is a person’s tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of

behavior, especially a relapse into criminal behavior” (Rehabilitation Enables Dreams, 2020)

gives a clearer sense. A study by the bureau of justice statistics found that in a nine year follow

up study that within one year of release 44% of individuals are arrested again and by nine years

83% were arrested again (2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow up Period,

2018). The United States has the largest prison population and the largest individuals per

population to match(In Depth, 2005). These statistic are demoralizing not just for individuals

who will experience the justice system but for all people. There are a variety of factors as to why

this is the case. Economic, compounding influences, and disparagement argument which will be

expounded upon later.

Regardless of the reason for the need of a solution of which there are many the need to

dismantle policies that research shows doesn’t work is where our society needs to start. American

policy has generally fallen towards harsh punishment with minimum sentencing in the hopes that

it will scare straight. However some research has shown that this is in fact not the case and may

even be the opposite (Nagin, 2011). Communities ultimately have two choices if this is the case.

One is to move towards draconian measures physically making it impossible for reoffense the

second is to realize that if individuals are not going to be incarcerated for life then they must at

some point be integrated back into the community. If these individuals are to be released then it

is in everyones best interest again for a variety of factors that they don’t reoffend.
Running Head : Final Research paper 3

So what are some potential solutions? The Scope of that question is far to large for such a

paper as it fills such a broad range from providing resources for growth while incarcerated to

banning educational institutions from requiring criminal background information as well as

housing from doing the same. Everyone wishes to feel safe, however a blockade of factors that

prevent an individual from reintegrating into society arguably makes everyone less safe. What

then? In general more research and better data collection is needed but research points to a

growth based approach that involves setting individuals up for the best chance to integrate back

into their communities. This is justified by the comparisons in recidivism rates with restorative

justice such as in Norway were after five years only twenty percent return to prison (World

Recidivism Rates).

Previously pointed to was a statistic on recidivism rates and some of the potential factors

as to why this is so disheartening; the first was economic. The effect is compounding from the

initial costs of running an individual through the justice system and everything that includes a.k.a

court costs, housing and food to the cost of probation. All of this plus the not so noticeable costs

that come with crime such as property damage and loss of work from injury. In an article on the

economic costs of recidivism the Foundation for Economic Education cites the Center for

American Progress with the statistic that Criminal Recidivism reduces the annual GDP by sixty-

five billon per year (Muresianu, 2018). No matter which way you cut it crime costs money and if

individuals recidivate the cost quickly gets out of hand.

Second was a phrase that perhaps needs some defining in the context of recidivism.

Compounding influences. If someone who is sentences to a harsher sentence than necessary is

forced to commit crime thus becoming a “hardened criminal” then other people are more likely
Running Head : Final Research paper 4

to be affected with increased recidivism. There is the idea of “six degrees of separation” where

all people are six or fewer social connections away from each other. If there is a tough on crime

mentality where individuals then increase the rate of crime and/or severity quickly everyone is

affected by this branching tree of criminality.

Last of the factors listed was disparagement argument which also needs to be defined.

This is the idea that as more and more people lose their rights or are contenting with a system

that now views them as outsiders to the rest of the community because of an advancement of

crime statistics then they are at a disadvantage simply because they are in that system that has

failed in its purpose if that purpose is reintegration and not just punishment. An essential

example of this is the loss of the right to vote in many states thus losing your voice in your

community at large. With this loss of voice its hard if impossible to enact any change for yourself

as a felon even if you have a large proportion of felons without the help of another empathetic

individual or group of individuals. This means that the issues that effect recidivism rates are

typically viewed as a side issue and not given the importance it’s due because those with

empirical experience in the ways that it truly effect the rest cant voice these issues directly. This

lack of voice has even other considerations that lead to disadvantage. One being employee

discrimination. Gainful employment is a foundation which it self is paramount to reducing

recidivism but is a foundation that is structurally faulty when employers can discriminate against

those with a record; this is compounded by the need for more social policies that give those in

the justice system a chance to gain skills and education. Where one in three Americans are

arrested by age twenty-three with what seems an ever rising increases in incarceration and

increases in homelessness perhaps there is a positive correlation between the two.

The list could be almost infinitely expanded with valid reasons as to why we need to

focus on a decrease in recidivism, but ultimately all of those reasons coalesce into the need to not

ostracize a growing group from the communities in which they reside. This growth it self is

something that also should be considered within policy adjustment. As an aside from recidivism

but still greatly tied to it with the decrease in prison population in select years is the fact that

even if individuals don’t commit new crimes within a certain timeframe is that as new

individuals commit crimes you have more individuals per population that are now criminals in

society mind. This ties back into both compounding influences and has a direct effect on the

economy as well. Perhaps it is time rethink what is criminal. Instead there be a split view of the

system where something may be viewed as social disturbance and handled with social systems

other than the justice system before it is progressed to the justice system. Regardless while our

system may not be the most efficient in terms of reducing recidivism it is the one we have and its

on every individual to come forward and work on solutions.

In Conclusion recidivism is a growing concern. One with a variety of effects including

economic, compounding influences, and disparagement argument. It is also one with a variety of

avenues that could potentially lead to a decrease in recidivism but only with increase in research

and the implementation of this research that we can start to restructure a system which thus far

has had major shortcomings for the outcomes that will suit our community at large.

Running Head : Final Research paper 6

References
Muresianu, A. (2018, August 16). Criminal Justice Reform Is Also Good Economics: Alex
Muresianu. Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://fee.org/articles/criminal-justice-
reform-is-also-good-economics/

What Is Recidivism? - Rehabilitation Enables Dreams. (2020, July 19). Retrieved August 06,
2020, from https://stoprecidivism.org/what-is-recidivism/?
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6skc6v8VnQ9c09ZVFREEaAg-5EALw_wcB

2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow up Period (2005-2014). (2018, May)

https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/18upr9yfup0514.pdf

In Depth. (2005, June 20). Retrieved August 06, 2020, from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/shared/spl/
hi/uk/06/prisons/html/nn2page1.stm

Cullen, Francis & Jonson, Cheryl & Nagin, Daniel. (2011). Prisons Do Not Reduce Recidivism
The High Cost of Ignoring Science. The Prison Journal. 91. 48S-65S.
10.1177/0032885511415224.

World Recidivism Rates. (n.d.). Retrieved August 06, 2020, from https://
worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/recidivism-rates-by-country