Criminal Recidivism
Criminal Recidivism
Angie Simpson
University of Phoenix
HCS 438 Statistical Applications
April 13, 2013
Amber Krasney
Criminal Recidivism Prisons today are overcrowded and are a growing problem in today’s society. “In 2008, the Pew Center on the States reported that incarceration levels had risen to a point where one in 100 American adults was behind bars. A second Pew study, the following year, added another disturbing dimension to the picture, revealing that one in 31 adults in the United States was either incarcerated or on probation or parole” (Pew Center on the States, 2011). It is very costly for the states to maintain the prisoners behind bars. It has been estimated that the cost of state spending on corrections is 52 billion dollars. Recidivism is a term used by law enforcement agencies that describes the tendency to relapse into criminal behavior. It involves a person being re-incarcerated or re-offending. “Inmates returning to state prisons within three years of release has remained steady for more than a decade; this is a strong indicator that prison systems are failing to deter criminals from re-offending. Using data from 41 states for prisoners released, “a study done by the Pew Center on the States found that slightly more than 4 in 10 offenders return to prison within three years” (Johnson, 2011). What has caused this rise in recidivism can be due to more studies being done, tracking recidivism more closely, and failure of prison systems/probation programs to rehabilitate inmates. “Prisons serve multiple purposes, including exacting retribution for breaking the law, separating offenders from society so they cannot commit more crimes, deterring the general population from committing crimes and discouraging incarcerated offenders from committing new crimes once they are released” (Pew Center on the States, 2011). One priority of prisons is to deter criminal activity through incarceration and rehabilitation of its criminals. One way to track
Angie Simpson
University of Phoenix
HCS 438 Statistical Applications
April 13, 2013
Amber Krasney
Criminal Recidivism Prisons today are overcrowded and are a growing problem in today’s society. “In 2008, the Pew Center on the States reported that incarceration levels had risen to a point where one in 100 American adults was behind bars. A second Pew study, the following year, added another disturbing dimension to the picture, revealing that one in 31 adults in the United States was either incarcerated or on probation or parole” (Pew Center on the States, 2011). It is very costly for the states to maintain the prisoners behind bars. It has been estimated that the cost of state spending on corrections is 52 billion dollars. Recidivism is a term used by law enforcement agencies that describes the tendency to relapse into criminal behavior. It involves a person being re-incarcerated or re-offending. “Inmates returning to state prisons within three years of release has remained steady for more than a decade; this is a strong indicator that prison systems are failing to deter criminals from re-offending. Using data from 41 states for prisoners released, “a study done by the Pew Center on the States found that slightly more than 4 in 10 offenders return to prison within three years” (Johnson, 2011). What has caused this rise in recidivism can be due to more studies being done, tracking recidivism more closely, and failure of prison systems/probation programs to rehabilitate inmates. “Prisons serve multiple purposes, including exacting retribution for breaking the law, separating offenders from society so they cannot commit more crimes, deterring the general population from committing crimes and discouraging incarcerated offenders from committing new crimes once they are released” (Pew Center on the States, 2011). One priority of prisons is to deter criminal activity through incarceration and rehabilitation of its criminals. One way to track
References: Bennett, J.O., Briggs, W.L., & Triola, M.F. (2009). Statistical Reasoning for Everyday Life (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education, Inc. Retrieved from the University of Phoenix eBook Collection database Johnson, K. (2011, April 12). Study: Prisons failing to deter repeat criminals in 41 states. USA TODAY. Retrieved from http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-04-12-Prison-recidivism-rates-hold-steady.htm The Pew Center on the States. (2011). Retrieved from http://i.usatoday.net/news/pdf/Pew%20Center%20on%20the%20States,%20PSPP%20Recidivism%20Report.pdf