Nov. 15, 2010
The California Department of Corrections and Recidivism (CDCR) just published a comprehensive report on prison recidivism, “2010 Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report” . Measured over a three-year period, inmates released in fiscal year 2005/06 have a recidivism rate of 67.5 percent.
Among the reports key findings:
Nearly three-quarters of felons who recidivate did so within a year of release.
Most recidivists returned to prison for parole violations.
After three years, re-released felons returned to prison at a rate 16.8 percentage points higher than those released for the first time.
Females have a three-year return-to-prison rate of 58 percent, which is approximately 10 percentage points lower than that of males.
In general, recidivism rates declined with age. Among inmates, ages 18 to 24 when released in fiscal year 2005/06, nearly 75 percent returned to prison within three years, compared to about 67 percent ages 40 to 44 and 46 percent of those 60 years of age and older.
Sex offenders recidivate at a slightly lower rate compared with other felons. Of the sex offenders who recidivate, 86 percent do so because of a parole violation.
The blog, “The California Correctional Crisis”, has an excellent analysis of the report by Professor Hadar Aviram of the Hastings Law School.
