recidivism
noun
Origin of recidivism
OTHER WORDS FROM recidivism
re·cid·i·vist, noun, adjective re·cid·i·vis·tic, re·cid·i·vous, adjectiveWords nearby recidivism
VOCAB BUILDER
What does recidivism mean?
Recidivism most commonly refers to the act of continuing to commit crimes after having been imprisoned for one and released.
In general, recidivism refers to a repeated or habitual relapse of any kind, but it is most often associated with crime and drug addiction. The verb form of recidivism is recidivate, which is synonymous with relapse. In psychology, recidivism refers to a repeated tendency to engage in crime or antisocial behavior.
Example: Statistics show that elderly people have a low recidivism rate—once released from prison, they rarely commit more crimes.
Where does recidivism come from?
The first records of recidivism come from the 1880s. It comes from the Latin recidīvus, meaning “relapsing,” from the Latin verb recid(ere), “to fall back.”
Fall back is used in many phrases related to relapsing, such as fall back into old habits and fall back into a life of crime. The word recidivism refers to the same thing but is used in a more formal and clinical way. It is especially discussed in the context of recidivism rates among convicted criminals—meaning the percentage of persons convicted and imprisoned for a crime who go on to commit another crime after their release (often called repeat offenders). Such rates are sometimes used to determine the length of prison sentences. Criminal justice reform advocates often emphasize the role of rehabilitation in reducing recidivism rates.
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What are some other forms related to recidivism?
- recidivist (noun, adjective)
- recidivistic (adjective)
- recidivous (adjective)
What are some synonyms for recidivism?
What are some words that share a root or word element with recidivism?
What are some words that often get used in discussing recidivism?
How is recidivism used in real life?
Recidivism is typically used in serious contexts, especially in discussions about criminal justice.
Gov Kemp could be proactive and release thousands of elderly people from Georgia's prisons, starting now. Releasing older prisoners is incredibly low risk — the recidivism rate is ~3% — and this would dramatically reduce the stress on medical centers within prisons, AND spread.
— Hannah Riley (@hannahcrileyy) March 12, 2020
"In the two weeks following release, a prisoner’s risk of overdose is over 50 times higher than in the general population."
We should do everything we can to ensure prisoners are healthy and whole upon re-entering society, which reduces recidivism.https://t.co/waGW9eDNeS
— John Howard Society of Saskatchewan (@JHSocietySask) March 11, 2020
Really interesting article about a prison in Norway which treats inmates like humans. VERY low rate of recidivism. http://t.co/JmThkEZrPl
— Kristina Johnson (@wired2theworld) May 14, 2013
Try using recidivism!
Is recidivism used correctly in the following sentence?
This legislation is aimed at reducing the rate of recidivism among convicts who are on parole.