NCJ Number
168378
Date Published
1995
Length
47 pages
Annotation
A policy review was conducted to determine reincarceration rates and identify trends and profiles for offenders released from Florida prisons between July 1, 1986, and February 28, 1992, and to identify strategies implemented by the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) to reduce recidivism.
Abstract
The policy review found the Florida Legislature and the DOC have implemented various strategies to reduce the tendency of offenders to return to criminal behavior after release from prison. These strategies include crime control strategies such as increasing the percentage of time served and imposing longer sentences on habitual offenders and rehabilitation strategies such as education and substance abuse treatment. The measurement of recidivism is an important part of evaluating the effectiveness of these strategies. Reincarceration is a useful measure of recidivism in Florida for two primary reasons: (1) reincarceration rates can be determined using the database of a single agency; and (2) reincarceration focuses on behaviors that place the greatest demand on State correctional resources. The DOC's measure of recidivism excludes offenders returned to prison for technical violations but includes offenders who are sentenced to probation or community control for new crimes. Of 183,692 offenders released from Florida prisons during the policy review period, 41 percent returned to prison within 3 years of their prison release dates. The development of a standard measure of recidivism is recommended, and factors outside DOC control that affect recidivism are noted. Appendixes describe the policy review methodology and provide information in DOC recidivism measures. Footnotes, tables, and exhibits