State of Connecticut Office of Policy and Management

Research, Analysis & Evaluation

ANNUAL CONNECTICUT RECIDIVISM STUDY

Recidivism is a relapse into criminal behavior. Measures of recidivism may include: 1) new arrests 2) new convictions 3) any incidence of re-incarceration, and 4) returns to prison with a new sentence.

The State of Connecticut Recidivism Study is an annual report published in response to the statutory requirements outlined in Public Act 05-249. This legislation created the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division (CJPPD) within the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and tasked the Division with issuing an annual report on the recidivism of offenders released from the custody of the Department of Correction (DOC) and from probation.

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ANNUAL CONNECTICUT RECIDIVISM STUDY
The State of Connecticut Annual Recidivism Study is generated by the Criminal Justice Policy and Planning Division of the Office of Policy and Management (OPM) and in collaboration with members of the CJPAC Research Workgroup.
This report is available in Adobe PDF, portal document format.  To view this document either get the Adobe Reader OR use the Adobe PDF Converter.
COMING SOON
  • Recidivism among sentenced offenders released or discharged in 2011
  • Characteristics of pre-trial offenders admitted in 2011, including recidivism
Other Connecticut Recidivism Studies
Below are links to other studies on recidivism in Connecticut:
ABOUT THE 2011 RECIDIVISM STUDY

For its 2011 study, OPM, in a decision endorsed by its criminal justice partner agencies on the Criminal Justice Policy and Advisory committee (CJPAC), has produced a two-year recidivism study of 16,286 sentenced offenders released in 2008.  The decision to produce a two-year study instead of a three-year study involved certain trade-off.  On balance, OPM decided that there was more to be gained through an analysis of a more recent offender cohort (2008) than a cohort that provided a longer term of analysis (2006).

In the coming year, OPM will produce several short reports on the recidivism rates of specific offender sub-groups similar to analysis found in the 2010 OPM reports: Recidivism & Weapons and Incarceration History and Age.

KEY FINDINGS

Recidivism Rates: 2008 Release Cohort

In 2008, 16,286 sentenced offenders were released or discharged by the Department of Correction (DOC).   OPM followed these offenders through criminal justice data to determine the two-year recidivism rates for this group of offenders.  Using data provided by DOC, the Judicial Branch’s Court Support Services Division (CSSD), and the Department of Public Safety, OPM calculated cumulative return rates for four types of recidivism: 1) new arrests; 2) new convictions; 3) any incident of re-incarceration; and 4) returns to prison with a new sentence.

Within two years of their release or discharge:

  • 56% of offenders released or discharge in 2008 were rearrested
  • 47% were returned to prison
  • 39% were convicted on new charges, and
  • 27% began a new prison sentence
Recidivism Rates: 2008 versus 2005 and 2004
By most measures, the two–year recidivism rates declined moderately between 2005 and 2008.   
  • While the two-year recidivism rates for new convictions showed the greatest decline between 2005 and 2008, data on convictions has a tendency to be most volatile.
  • The recidivism rates for returns-to-prison and returns-to-prison-with-a-new-sentence, tend to be more stable from year to year.  The return-to-prison rates between 2005 and 2008 declined from 49.2% to 47.4%.  The return to prison with a new sentence rate edges down from 27.7% to 27.0%.
  • Over the coming year, OPM will produce a more thorough analysis to investigate why most recidivism rates declined between 2005 and 2008.
Recidivism Rates: 2008, Gender and Age
As in last year’s study, the recidivism rates for young male offenders was higher than the rate for older offenders.
  • Within two years of their release or discharge:
    •  70% of male offenders under the age of 23 were rearrested.
       Among males over the age of 43, 46% were rearrested.
    •  14,420 males were released or discharged by the DOC in 2008.  57% of these men had been rearrested within two years. 
  • Male offenders generally recidivated at higher rates than females. 
    • Among males 57% were rearrested within two years; among females the figure was 47%.
  • 49% of males were returned to prison within two years.  The rate for women was 36%. 
  • In contrast to males where the youngest offenders had the highest recidivism rates, women in the middle age-quintiles were more likely to recidivate than the youngest female offenders.
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