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recidivism

ri-SID-ih-viz-um /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzəm/

nounC2LSATGREUPSC

LegalAcademic

The tendency of a convicted criminal to reoffend.

A key metric used to judge the effectiveness of a prison system or a rehabilitation program.

The story behind the word. From 're-' (back) and 'cadere' (to fall). It describes someone who has stood up (been released or rehabilitated) but then 'falls back' into their old criminal ways.

Word relationships

relapse: Relapse is used for medical conditions or addictions; recidivism is for crime.
reoffending: Reoffending is the plain-English synonym; recidivism is the technical, academic term.

rehabilitation: Rehabilitation is the successful process of changing behavior so one does not reoffend.
desistance: Desistance is the technical term for the cessation of criminal behavior.

Commonly confused with

regression: Regression is a return to a less developed state; recidivism is specifically a return to crime.

Word family

recidivist (noun): A person who repeatedly commits crimes.

Collocations

recidivism rate
reduce recidivism
habitual recidivism

Example sentences

"High rates of recidivism suggest that the current penal system is failing to rehabilitate inmates." Criminology
"The study found that vocational training in prison significantly reduced recidivism upon release." Government Report

Memory hook

RE-CID-ivism: Like a 'CID' (detective) having to catch the same person 'RE'-peatedly. Falling back into crime.

When not to use

Do not use for general 'relapsing' into bad habits like smoking; it is almost exclusively used for criminal behavior.

Fun facts

In the 19th century, 'recidivism' was sometimes used in medicine to describe a disease that kept coming back.
Norway has one of the lowest recidivism rates in the world (around 20%), compared to over 70% in some parts of the US.