A systematic review of criminal recidivism rates worldwide: 3-year update

Abstract

Background: Comparing recidivism rates between countries may provide useful information about the relative effectiveness of different criminal justice policies. A previous 2015 review identified criminal recidivism data for 18 countries and found little consistency in outcome definitions and time periods. We aimed to update recidivism rates in prisoners internationally. Methods: We conducted a systematic review of criminal recidivism rates in prisoners and followed PRISMA guidelines. Using five bibliographic indexes, we carried out non-country-specific and targeted searches for 50 countries with the largest total prison populations. We included reports and studies of released prisoners that reported re-arrest, reconviction and reincarceration rates. Meta-analysis was not possible due to multiple sources of heterogeneity. Results: We identified criminal recidivism information for 23 countries. Of the 50 countries with the largest prison populations, 10 reported recidivism rates for prisoners. The most commonly reported outcome was the 2-year reconviction rate. We were able to examine reconviction between different time periods for 11 countries and found that most reported small changes in official recidivism rates. Overall, for 2-year follow-up period, reported re-arrest rates were between 26% and 60%, reconviction rates ranged from 20% to 63%, and reimprisonment rates varied from 14 to 45%. Conclusions: Although some countries have made efforts to improve reporting, recidivism rates are not comparable between countries. Criminal justice agencies should consider using reporting guidelines described here to update their data.

Predicting Violent Reoffending in Individuals Released From Prison in a Lower-Middle-Income Country: A Validation of OxRec in Tajikistan

“…In addition, external validation is often overlooked, even in HICs ( 10 ). Thus, it is not known whether these tools are applicable to LMICs, given potential differences in effects of risk factors and base rates of reoffending in various countries ( 11 ).…”

Solitary Confinement of Inmates Associated With Relapse Into Any Recidivism Including Violent Crime: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…According to a recent review (Yukhnenko et al, 2019), 58.4% of released prisoners in North America will likely be reconvicted within 2 years (for property, drug-related, violent, or public order offenses). Within 3 years, 21% will be arrested for a new violent offense (Alper et al, 2018).…”

Cross-sectional assessment of tuberculosis and HIV prevalence in 13 correctional facilities in Zambia

“…The difference in prevalence of TB and HIV between residents and new entrants into correctional facilities was not statistically significant. This is possibly due to the following reasons: (a) individuals entering correctional facilities come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds where prevalence of TB and HIV is already high 1 ; (b) there are high rates of recidivism 35 ; and (c) detainees spend long periods in police cells, which have similar conditions to the correctional facilities. 36 37 However, the small sample size and wide CIs especially for the new entrants are a limiting factor for drawing any inferences from this comparison.…”