U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

Desistance from crime

Criminal Career Patterns

Date Published
May 2014
Agencies
NIJ, OJJDP
Publication Type
Research (Applied/Empirical), Literature Review

Recidivism Is a Core Criminal Justice Concern

Date Published
October 2, 2008

Recidivism is one of the most fundamental concepts in criminal justice. It refers to a person's relapse into criminal behavior, often after the person receives sanctions or undergoes intervention for a previous crime.