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

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vi Are adjustments needed in observations? 47 Examples from the Australian literature 48 Conclusion 50 Recidivism in Australia 51 Overview of the literature: methodology 52 How much recidivism is there? 54 Adult prisoner recidivism 54 Adult offender recidivism 64 Juvenile detainee recidivism 70 Juvenile offender recidivism 76 What is known about recidivist offenders? 86 Age 87 Gender 89 Indigenous status 90 Criminal history 92 Current offence type 93 Lifestyle and drug use 96 Post-release difficulties 98 Future directions for recidivism research in Australia 99 Priorities in recidivism research 100 Priority 1: developing national indicators and a national research agenda 102 Priority 2: improving capacity 107 Priority 3: standardising methodological reporting 111 References 112 Appendix A 120 Acknowledgments The Australian Institute of Criminology thanks the large number of individuals who have contributed to the production of this report, including the academic and government employees who participated in the AIC Recidivism Roundtable in June 2005. In particular, the author would like to thank Joy Wundersitz for her invaluable assistance in developing the conceptual work that underpins this report, and Janet Smith for her hard work in bringing this document from a first draft to a final report.
Executive summary At a time when evidence based policy development has become increasingly important in the criminal justice policy arena, recidivism research provides promise for crime control strategies targeted at reducing reoffending. Identifying recidivists, understanding the correlates of high volume offending, and evaluating programs designed to reduce offending remain three key research and policy priorities in Australia. Despite the importance of recidivism, there is a large divide between research and policy. What policy makers would like to measure often bears little resemblance to what researchers are able to measure, given the limitations on appropriate data and available information. As a result, research findings are often used out of context and with little regard for limitations imposed on them by the methodological constraints they face. This is driven primarily by a lack of clarity surrounding an appropriate definition of recidivism and clear articulation of research methodologies. This report deals with important questions relating to recidivism research. It provides a conceptual framework through which recidivism can be defined and interpreted and arms both researchers and policy makers with a battery of tools useful in critical assessment of the research literature. It begins by looking at the general definition of recidivism and the problems inherent in its measurement and identification. Defining and measuring recidivism Defining recidivism seems reasonably straightforward. It is a term frequently used in the criminal justice literature to refer to repetitious criminal activity and is synonymous with terms such as repeat offending and reoffending. A recidivist offender is generally seen as one who engages in repeated criminal activity. Underlying this seemingly simple and generic term is a complex web of research studies whose definition of recidivism varies with each different methodological approach. Like most criminological concepts, recidivism is constantly being redefined, as new and innovative attempts are undertaken to understand why offenders reoffend. vii
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Research and Public Policy Series N
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