Recidivism in Australia : findings and future research - Australian ...

Understanding recidivism
The second category studies are exploratory in nature. Rather than simply attempting
to estimate the prevalence of reoffending, they are more concerned with identifying
those personal, socioeconomic and psychological factors that correlate with,
and may therefore help to explain, recidivism.
The third set involves the use of recidivism as an outcome measure in evaluation.
Here researchers are asked by policy makers and program operators to measure
the extent to which participation in a particular program or intervention reduces
the risk of reoffending. Some examples from the Australian literature include:
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evaluations of re-offending among participants in specialist drug, mental health
and domestic violence courts (UWA CRC 2003; Lind et al. 2002; Makkai and
Veraar 2003; Payne 2005; Skryzpiec, Wundersitz & McRostie 2004)
evaluations of juvenile justice interventions such as youth conferencing
(Hayes & Daly 2004; Luke & Lind 2002)
evaluations of particular policing operations (for example, Makkai et al. 2004).
The purpose for which the research is undertaken also helps to define its contextual
parameters, that is, the broad range of factors that influence the research and the
methodological decisions made by the researchers. It provides the backdrop for the
analysis, often defining the parameters of both the data collection and the analytic
techniques to be used. Having an appreciation of that context provides the necessary
platform from which the results are interpreted.
There are a wide variety of contextual issues to be understood. At the very least they
include those factors associated with the selection of the target sample, the location
of the study and the time period within which it was conducted. Other factors are
the data sources used, the counting rules, and the length of the observation period.
Key elements
Once the purpose and context of the research has been determined, it is the researcher’s
task to develop an appropriate conceptual and methodological approach that will effectively
answer the questions posed by policy makers and program operators. For every given
question, researchers are responsible for determining and implementing a measurement
model that will provide the most accurate answer possible, usually in the most efficient
and cost effective manner.
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