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To assess the effectiveness of criminal justice policies, programs, or reforms, researchers frequently examine recidivism, defined as the return to criminal activity after a prior sanction (Council of State Governments Justice Center 2014; Deady 2014; National Institute of Justice 2022; Pratt and Eriksson 2013).

Researchers use a variety of approaches for defining and tracking recidivism (Council of State Governments Justice Center 2014; Hunt and Dumville 2016; Johnson 2017). The brief reviews literature on recidivism and recidivism indicators from 2000 to 2022 to answer the following questions: What are common recidivism indicators used in criminal justice research? What are the strengths and challenges of each of these indicators? What are common recidivism data sources? What are the strengths and challenges of each of these data sources?

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Key Takeaways

• When selecting and using recidivism metrics, there are several key considerations. When selecting recidivism metrics, it is important to determine the intended use of the data. Understanding the goals for collecting information can inform which metric is best to select.
• Common measures of criminal justice involvement used as recidivism indicators include rearrest, reconviction, reincarceration, and technical violations. Each of these measures has distinct strengths and challenges associated with their use.

Citation

Lai, I., Stein, J., Geckeler, C., Pasternack, E. (2022). Social Policy Research. Common Indicators of Recidivism Used in Program and Policy Evaluations. Chief Evaluation Office, U.S. Department of Labor.

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The Department of Labor’s (DOL) Chief Evaluation Office (CEO) sponsors independent evaluations and research, primarily conducted by external, third-party contractors in accordance with the Department of Labor Evaluation Policy and CEO’s research development process.