Definition

The act of repeating an offense.

What Is Recidivism

Recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person’s relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime. Recidivism is the falling back into ways that allow for reoffending.

Recidivism is the act of a person repeating an undesirable behavior after they have experienced negative consequences of that behavior. It is also used to refer to the percentage of former prisoners who are rearrested for a similar offense.

The term is frequently used in conjunction with criminal behavior and substance use disorders. Recidivism is a synonym for “relapse”, which is more commonly used in medicine and in the disease model of addiction.

An Example of Recidivism

Recidivism is best defined as doing something illegal again after having been punished and/or paid restitution for the offence and after having stopped that certain negative behavior. An example would be shoplifting. Falling back into shoplifting after being caught, paying the price; perhaps jail time, therapy, monetary fines and restitution, only to shoplift again is an example of recidivism.

Source: Wikipedia

This site contains affiliate links. We may, at no cost to you, receive a commission for purchases made through these links