In honor of National Repeat Day, Follow Our Courts looks at repeat-offender statistics.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, California’s recidivism rate has averaged around 50% over the past 10 years.
The United States has some of the highest recidivism rates in the world. According to the National Institute of Justice, almost 44% of criminals return to prison before the first year of freedom is up. 2005 numbers show that 68% of released prisoners were arrested for a new crime within three years, and 77% within five years.
The World Population Review cites difficulty adjusting to normal life as the primary reason released prisoners become repeat offenders. They have trouble reconnecting with family and finding a job to support themselves. Other factors are social environment and community, circumstances before incarceration and events in prison.
The United States has the highest prison population of any country, comprising 25% of the world’s prisoners.
