U.S. Department of Justice
Office of Justice Programs
Bureau of Justice Statistics

SEPTEMBER 2021

Special Report

NCJ 256094

Recidivism of Prisoners Released in 24 States in
2008: A 10-Year Follow-Up Period (2008–2018)
Leonardo Antenangeli, Ph.D., and Matthew R. Durose, BJS Statisticians

A

mong persons released from state prisons in
2008 across 24 states, 82% were arrested at least
once during the 10 years following release.1
The annual arrest percentage declined over time, with
43% of prisoners arrested at least once in Year 1 of their
release, 29% arrested in Year 5, and 22% arrested in
Year 10 (figure 1).
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) used prisoner
records from the National Corrections Reporting
Program and criminal history data to analyze the
post-release offending patterns of former prisoners
both within and outside of the state where they were
imprisoned. This report presents findings from BJS’s
first study of prisoner recidivism over a 10-year
period. The study randomly sampled about 73,600
released prisoners to represent the approximately
409,300 state prisoners released across 24 states in
2008. These states provided prisoners’ records and the
FBI or state identification numbers that are needed to
obtain criminal history data on the released prisoners.

Figure 1
Annual arrest percentage of state prisoners released in
24 states in 2008
Percent
50
40
30

II II II II II II II II II

20
10
0

Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Year 9 Year 10
Year after release

Note: Prisoners could have been arrested multiple times after release
(e.g., a prisoner arrested in Year 1 and Year 3 is included in percentages
for both years). See table 17 for estimates and appendix table 12 for
standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

1For additional BJS reports and information on prisoners, see

https://bjs.ojp.gov/data-collection/survey-prison-inmates-spi and
https://bjs.ojp.gov/topics/corrections.

HIGHLIGHTS
„„

About 66% of prisoners released across 24 states in
2008 were arrested within 3 years, and 82% were
arrested within 10 years.

„„

Ninety percent of prisoners who were age 24 or
younger at the time of release in 2008 were arrested
within 10 years of release. A smaller percentage of
those who were ages 25 to 39 (85%) and age 40
or older (75%) at the time of release were arrested
within 10 years of release.

„„

The annual arrest percentage among prisoners
released in 2008 declined from 43% in Year 1 to 22%
in Year 10.

„„

About 61% of prisoners released in 2008 returned
to prison within 10 years for a parole or probation
violation or a new sentence.

„„

Seventy-five percent of drug offenders released from
prison in 2008 were arrested for a nondrug crime
within 10 years.

„„

Sixteen percent of prisoners released in 2008 were
arrested within 10 years outside of the state that
released them.

„„

During the 10-year follow-up period, an estimated
2.2 million arrests occurred among the approximately
409,300 prisoners released in 2008.

These 24 states were responsible for 69% of all persons
released from state prisons that year nationwide.
(See Methodology.)
The median age of state prisoners released in
2008 was 34
Among prisoners released in 2008 across the 24 states,
whites (40%) made up the largest portion, followed by
blacks (37%) and Hispanics (21%) (table 1). American
Indian or Alaska Native; Asian, Native Hawaiian, or
Other Pacific Islander; and other races comprised
about 1% each. About 9 in 10 (89%) released prisoners
were male. Half (50%) of the prisoners released in 2008
were ages 25 to 39, and a third (34%) were age 40 or
older. The median age of prisoners at the time of their
release in 2008 was 34.
Two-thirds (66%) of prisoners released across
24 states in 2008 had been admitted to prison on a
new court commitment, while about a third (32%)
had been admitted for violating their conditional
release to the community on parole or probation. The
remaining 2% had been admitted for other reasons,
such as persons returning from a release on bond or
after participating in an appeal of a case. More than
three-quarters (78%) of released prisoners had been
granted a conditional release and placed on probation,
parole, or some other form of community supervision,
while about one-quarter (23%) had been granted an
unconditional release.

Table 1
Characteristics of state prisoners released in 24 states
in 2008
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islandera
Othera,b
Age at release
24 or younger
25–39
25–29
30–34
35–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older
Median
Mean
Type of prison admission
New court commitmentc
Conditional release violationd
Other admission
Type of prison release
Conditionale
Unconditionalf

Percent
100%

Standard error
~

89.0%
11.0

0.01%
0.01

39.5%
37.1
21.0
1.2

0.31%
0.30
0.30
0.06

Number of released prisoners

0.6
0.6

0.04
0.07

15.3%
50.3
20.5
15.9
14.0
34.3
30.5
3.3
0.6
34 yrs.
35.4

0.23%
0.33
0.27
0.24
0.23
0.31
0.31
0.12
0.05
~
0.07 yrs.

66.4%
31.7
1.9

0.31%
0.31
0.05

77.5%
22.5

0.18%
0.18

409,300

99

Note: Data on prisoners’ sex were reported for 100% of cases; age at
release, for over 99%; race or ethnicity, for over 99%; type of prison
admission, for 98%; and type of prison release, for 98%. Percentages
exclude missing data. The number of released prisoners is rounded to
the nearest 100. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
~Not applicable.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic
whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races.
cIncludes admissions of persons convicted and sentenced by a court.
dIncludes admissions of persons who returned to prison after being
released to community supervision.
eIncludes releases of persons to community supervision.
fIncludes expirations of sentences, commutations, and other releases
not followed by community supervision.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

2

About 1 in 4 state prisoners released in 2008 were
serving time for a violent offense
One-quarter (25%) of prisoners released across
24 states in 2008 had been serving time for a violent
offense (table 2). Two percent of released prisoners
were serving time for homicide, and 4% were serving
time for rape or sexual assault. Nearly the same
percentage of released prisoners had been serving time
for property and drug offenses (30% each), and the
remaining 16% of released prisoners had been serving
time for public order offenses. Prisoners who were
serving time for multiple offenses were categorized by
the commitment offense with the longest maximum
sentence (i.e., the most serious commitment offense).
Table 2
Most serious commitment offense of state prisoners
released in 24 states in 2008
Most serious commitment offense
All released prisoners
Violent
Homicide
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property
Burglary
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Other property
Drug
Possession
Trafficking
Other drug
Public order
Weapons
Other public order

Percent
100%
24.5%
1.8
4.3
7.0
8.9
2.5
29.6%
11.1
9.7
4.9
3.7
30.3%
11.3
12.5
6.4
15.7%
4.3
11.4

Standard error
~
0.27%
<0.01
<0.01
0.17
0.21
0.11
0.30%
0.21
0.22
0.12
0.12
0.31%
0.23
0.23
0.08
0.25%
0.15
0.21

Number of released prisoners

409,300

99

Note: For prisoners serving time for more than one offense, the most
serious offense is the one with the longest sentence length. The number
of released prisoners is rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not sum
to totals due to rounding.
~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

Prisoners released in 2008 had a median of nine
prior arrests (for any type of offense) and five
corresponding convictions in their criminal history
before release (table 3). An estimated 29% of prisoners
released in 2008 were first arrested when they were
age 17 or younger, and 85% were first arrested when
they were age 24 or younger. Some juvenile offenses
may not be accounted for in the analysis for persons
not prosecuted as an adult or due to state laws and
practices regarding record sealing or expungement.
Table 3
Prior criminal history of state prisoners released in
24 states in 2008
All released prisoners
Number of prior arrestsa
4 or fewer
2 or fewer
3–4
5–9
10 or more
Median
Mean
Prior convictionsb
Median
Mean
Age at first arrest
17 or younger
18–19
20–24
25–29
30–34
35–39
40 or older

Percent
100%
21.5%
9.3
12.3
29.6
48.9
9 arsts.
12.1
5
5.8
29.4%
32.9
23.0
7.6
3.6
1.9
1.7

Standard error
~
0.21%
0.13
0.17
0.28
0.29
~
0.08 arsts.
~
0.03
0.31%
0.31
0.27
0.16
0.11
0.08
0.07

Note: Data on prisoners’ age at first arrest were reported for over 99% of
cases. Some juvenile offenses may not be accounted for in the analysis
for persons not prosecuted as an adult or due to state laws and practices
regarding record sealing or expungement. Percentages exclude missing
data. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
~Not applicable.
aIncludes arrests in the prisoners’ criminal history and the arrest that
resulted in the imprisonment.
bIncludes convictions prior to the prisoners’ date of release in 2008 and
the conviction that resulted in the imprisonment.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

3

82% of released state prisoners were arrested
within 10 years
Among state prisoners released in 2008 across
24 states, about 2 in 5 (43%) were arrested within
1 year (table 4). This rate increased to about
8 in 10 (82%) released prisoners by the end of the
10-year follow-up period. Male prisoners (44%) were
more likely than female prisoners (34%) to be arrested
within a year of release. This gap persisted between the
sexes through Year 5 of their release, when 76% of male
and 66% of female prisoners had been arrested. The
gap narrowed by Year 10, at which time 83% of male
and 76% of female prisoners had been arrested.

release. White (40%) prisoners were arrested at a lower
rate in the same period. At the end of Year 5 following
release, white prisoners (72%) and Hispanic prisoners
(73%) had similar cumulative arrest percentages, while
the percentage for black prisoners (79%) was higher.
This same pattern was observed at the end of the
10-year follow-up period, when a larger percentage of
black (86%) prisoners had been arrested than white
(80%) and Hispanic (79%) prisoners.
By the end of Year 10 following release, a greater
percentage of prisoners age 24 or younger (90%) had
been arrested than prisoners ages 25 to 39 (85%) or
prisoners age 40 or older (75%).

Black (45%) and Hispanic (44%) prisoners were
arrested at similar rates during the first year following
Table 4
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested following release, by sex,
race or ethnicity, age at release, and year following release
Number of
Characteristic
released prisoners
All released prisoners
409,300
Sex
Male*
364,200
Female
45,100
Race/ethnicity
161,400
Whitea*
Blacka
151,700
Hispanic
86,100
American Indian/
Alaska Nativea
4,800
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacific Islandera
2,300
Othera,b
2,600
Age at release
24 or younger*
62,700
25–39
206,000
40 or older
140,600
40–54
124,600
55–64
13,600
65 or older
2,300

Year 1
42.9%

Year 2
58.0%

Year 3
66.2%

Year 4
71.2%

Year 5
74.8%

Year 6
77.3%

Year 7
79.0%

Year 8
80.2%

Year 9
81.1%

Year 10
81.9%

43.9%
34.4 †

59.2%
48.8 †

67.3%
57.0 †

72.3%
62.3 †

75.9%
66.3 †

78.3%
69.6 †

79.9%
71.6 †

81.0%
73.2 †

82.0%
74.4 †

82.7%
75.5 †

39.6%
45.2 †
44.2 †

54.8%
61.4 †
57.8 †

63.2%
69.7 †
65.4 †

68.4%
75.1 †
69.6

72.3%
78.6 †
72.8

75.0%
81.1 †
75.3

76.9%
82.7 †
76.7

78.3%
83.7 †
77.5

79.4%
84.7 †
78.3

80.2%
85.6 †
78.9

50.7 †

65.7 †

72.8 †

76.3 †

78.8 †

80.8 †

82.1 †

83.1 †

84.3 †

84.7 †

41.3
44.6

57.2
57.4

63.5
63.0

67.2
67.1

68.9
72.4

70.2
74.3

70.8
74.4

73.2
77.0

73.8
77.2

74.4
77.3

49.8%
44.1 †
37.9 †
39.2
28.5
22.9

66.8%
60.3 †
50.8 †
52.6
37.3
33.6

75.0%
68.7 †
58.6 †
60.7
43.6
36.0

79.5%
73.8 †
63.7 †
66.0
47.2
37.3

82.7%
77.6 †
67.2 †
69.6
49.9
38.4

85.2%
80.0 †
69.9 †
72.3
52.6
38.5

86.8%
81.6 †
71.6 †
74.1
54.1
39.5

87.8%
82.9 †
72.8 †
75.4
54.9
39.7

88.6%
83.9 †
73.7 †
76.3
55.6
39.9

89.5%
84.7 †
74.5 †
77.2
56.1
40.1

Note: Data on prisoners’ sex were reported for 100% of cases; age at release, for over 99%; and race or ethnicity, for over 99%. The number of released
prisoners is rounded to the nearest 100. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 2 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level. The significance tests were not conducted on age subcategories.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

4

Nearly 8 in 10 violent offenders were arrested
for any crime within 10 years of release from
state prison
Among state prisoners released in 2008 after serving
time for a violent offense, about 6 in 10 (61%) were
arrested within 3 years following their release (table 5).
This percentage increased to about 7 in 10 (69%)
prisoners arrested within 5 years and just under 8 in
10 (77%) arrested within 10 years following release.
Of prisoners released after serving time for homicide,
about half (49%) were arrested for any type of
offense within 5 years, and nearly 3 in 5 (57%) within
10 years. More than half (54%) of prisoners released
after serving time for rape or sexual assault were

arrested within 5 years, and nearly two-thirds (63%)
within 10 years.
Among prisoners released after serving time for a drug
offense, nearly two-thirds (65%) were arrested within
3 years, about three-quarters (74%) within 5 years, and
81% within 10 years. During the 10-year follow-up
period, property offenders (87%) were more likely than
violent offenders (77%) and drug offenders (81%) to be
arrested for any type of offense. Prisoners released in
2008 who had been admitted for a conditional release
violation (90%) were more likely than those admitted
on a new court commitment (78%) to be arrested
within 10 years.

Table 5
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested following release, by most
serious commitment offense, type of prison admission, and year following release
All released prisoners
Most serious commitment
offense
Violent
Homicidea
Murder/nonnegligent
manslaughter
Negligent manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property
Burglary
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Other property
Drug
Possession
Trafficking
Other drug
Public order
Weapons
Other public order
Type of prison admissionb
New court commitment
Conditional release violation

Number of
released prisoners Year 1
409,300
42.9%

Year 2
58.0%

Year 3
66.2%

Year 4
71.2%

Year 5
74.8%

Year 6
77.3%

Year 7
79.0%

Year 8
80.2%

Year 9 Year 10
81.1% 81.9%

100,100
7,300

38.4%
22.1

52.6%
33.5

60.7%
40.4

65.6%
45.1

69.4%
48.8

71.8%
51.3

73.5%
53.4

74.8%
54.9

75.7%
56.3

76.7%
57.4

4,700
2,400
17,600
28,700
36,400
10,100
121,000
45,600
39,900
20,200
15,200
123,900
46,500
51,300
26,100
64,300
17,500
46,900

21.1
24.3
27.6
40.2
44.8
41.3
49.3
47.7
54.7
41.7
49.9
40.7
44.6
40.7
33.8
41.8
46.6
40.0

32.5
35.9
39.2
56.6
59.6
52.7
64.6
63.8
68.7
56.8
67.2
56.2
59.8
56.0
50.6
57.6
64.7
54.9

39.6
42.3
45.9
64.6
68.0
63.2
72.5
72.0
76.1
65.3
74.0
64.8
67.8
64.5
59.9
65.8
72.5
63.3

44.1
47.2
50.5
70.4
72.7
66.9
77.3
77.6
79.6
70.7
79.4
70.0
72.7
69.7
65.8
70.7
76.8
68.5

47.6
51.1
54.1
75.2
75.7
72.2
80.8
81.6
82.7
73.9
82.9
73.6
76.1
73.3
69.9
74.1
79.7
72.1

50.1
53.9
56.5
77.8
77.7
74.7
83.0
83.7
84.6
76.7
84.8
76.4
78.9
76.0
72.8
77.2
82.5
75.2

52.1
56.1
58.7
79.6
79.1
76.3
84.2
85.1
85.4
78.5
86.0
78.2
80.6
77.6
75.1
79.3
84.7
77.3

53.8
57.3
60.4
80.6
80.4
77.3
85.2
86.1
86.1
79.9
86.7
79.5
81.7
78.8
76.9
80.4
85.7
78.5

55.1
58.7
61.7
81.4
81.2
78.1
86.1
87.0
86.9
81.1
87.7
80.5
82.4
79.9
78.2
81.5
86.9
79.4

56.1
60.0
62.8
82.5
82.0
79.6
86.7
87.4
87.6
82.2
88.0
81.4
83.0
80.9
79.4
82.1
87.4
80.1

266,600
127,400

36.8%
56.3

52.1%
71.3

61.0%
78.0

66.3%
82.1

70.2%
85.2

73.0%
87.0

74.9%
88.0

76.2%
89.0

77.3%
89.6

78.3%
90.0

Note: For prisoners serving time for more than one offense, the most serious offense is the one with the longest sentence length. Data on prisoners’
type of prison admission were reported for 98% of cases. The number of released prisoners is rounded to the nearest 100. See appendix table 3 for
standard errors.
aIncludes unspecified homicide offenses that are not shown separately.
bExcludes missing data.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

5

Nearly 9 in 10 state prisoners with 10 or more prior
arrests were arrested within 10 years of release
Prisoners with fewer prior arrests in their criminal
history were less likely to be arrested following release.
Among prisoners released across 24 states in 2008, the
cumulative arrest percentage for those with four or
fewer prior arrests increased from about one-quarter
(24%) within the first year to nearly 6 in 10 (57%)
within 5 years and 67% within 10 years (table 6). In
comparison, prisoners with 10 or more prior arrests
had a cumulative arrest percentage of 55% within
1 year, 84% within 5 years, and 89% within 10 years.

Although some juvenile offenses may not be accounted
for in the analysis for persons not prosecuted as an
adult or due to state laws and practices regarding
record sealing or expungement, this study found that
the younger the prisoners were at the time of the first
arrest in their criminal history, the more likely they
were to be arrested after release. Over half (52%) of
prisoners who were first arrested before age 18 had
been arrested within a year of their 2008 prison release,
compared to fewer than 2 in 10 (16%) prisoners who
were age 40 or older at the time of their first arrest. At
the end of the 10-year period, the cumulative arrest
percentage increased to 9 in 10 (90%) for those under
age 18 and to about 4 in 10 (41%) for the 40 or older
age group.

Table 6
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested following release, by number
of prior arrests, age at first arrest, and year following release
Number of
released prisoners Year 1
All released prisoners
409,300
42.9%
Number of prior arrestsa
4 or fewer*
88,100
24.3%
2 or fewer
37,900
19.9
3–4
50,200
27.6
5–9
121,100
35.9 †
10 or more
200,100
55.2 †
Age at first arrestb
17 or younger*
119,900
51.8%
18–19
134,100
46.0 †
20–24
93,900
37.2 †
25–29
30,900
30.8 †
30–34
14,700
25.7 †
35–39
7,600
20.3 †
40 or older
7,000
16.3 †

Year 2
58.0%

Year 3
66.2%

Year 4
71.2%

Year 5
74.8%

Year 6
77.3%

Year 7
79.0%

Year 8
80.2%

Year 9
81.1%

Year 10
81.9%

38.0%
31.6
42.8
52.8 †
70.0 †

46.5%
38.8
52.2
62.1 †
77.4 †

52.3%
44.3
58.4
68.0 †
81.4 †

56.9%
48.4
63.3
72.3 †
84.2 †

60.3%
51.7
66.7
75.3 †
86.1 †

62.6%
54.5
68.7
77.4 †
87.2 †

64.3%
56.4
70.3
78.8 †
88.0 †

65.9%
58.3
71.6
80.0 †
88.5 †

67.2%
59.8
72.8
80.9 †
89.0 †

67.8%
62.2 †
52.3 †
44.6 †
36.1 †
28.7 †
24.2 †

76.0%
70.3 †
61.0 †
53.1 †
43.8 †
35.4 †
30.1 †

80.6%
75.3 †
66.5 †
57.6 †
48.5 †
41.5 †
33.1 †

83.8%
79.3 †
70.2 †
61.7 †
52.9 †
44.9 †
35.1 †

86.1%
81.6 †
73.1 †
64.6 †
56.4 †
47.2 †
36.6 †

87.3%
83.3 †
75.1 †
66.7 †
58.5 †
48.9 †
38.3 †

88.2%
84.3 †
76.6 †
68.3 †
60.1 †
50.7 †
38.8 †

89.0%
85.3 †
77.6 †
69.4 †
61.6 †
52.6 †
40.6 †

89.7%
86.0 †
78.6 †
70.2 †
62.8 †
54.0 †
41.3 †

Note: Data on prisoners’ age at first arrest were reported for over 99% of cases. Some juvenile offenses may not be accounted for in the analysis for
persons not prosecuted as an adult or due to state laws and practices regarding record sealing or expungement. The number of released prisoners is
rounded to the nearest 100. See appendix table 4 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level. The significance tests were not conducted on prior arrest subcategories.
aIncludes arrests in the prisoners’ criminal history and the arrest that resulted in the imprisonment.
bExcludes missing data.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

6

Nearly 7 in 10 state prisoners released across
22 states had an arrest within 10 years that led to
a conviction
The percentage of prisoners who had a subsequent
arrest that led to a conviction is based on prisoners
released across 22 of the 24 states in the study
(excluding Alabama and Louisiana) for which the
necessary court data were available. (See Methodology.)
Overall, nearly 7 in 10 (69%) prisoners released in
2008 had an arrest within 10 years that resulted in a
conviction (table 7). Because not all arrests result in a
conviction, recidivism rates based on this measure are
lower than those based on a new arrest. Male prisoners
were more likely than female prisoners to have had a
post-release arrest that led to a conviction.

By the end of the 10-year follow-up period, white
prisoners (68%) were more likely than Hispanic
prisoners (65%) and less likely than black prisoners
(73%) to have an arrest that led to a conviction.
Younger prisoners were more likely to have an arrest
leading to a conviction than older prisoners. At the
end of Year 5 following release, a cumulative 68% of
prisoners age 24 or younger, 62% of those ages 25 to
39, and 50% of those age 40 or older at release had an
arrest that led to a conviction. At the end of Year 10,
nearly 8 in 10 (79%) prisoners age 24 or younger, about
7 in 10 (73%) of those ages 25 to 39, and about 6 in 10
(59%) of those age 40 or older at release had an arrest
that led to a conviction.

Table 7
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 22 states in 2008 who had an arrest after release that led to a
conviction, by sex, race or ethnicity, age at release, and year following release
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male*
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea*
Blacka
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islandera
Othera,b
Age at release
24 or younger*
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
24.4%

Year 2
38.4%

Year 3
47.9%

Year 4
54.3%

Year 5
59.0%

Year 6
62.3%

Year 7
64.7%

Year 8
66.4%

Year 9
67.7%

Year 10
68.8%

25.1%
19.1 †

39.2%
31.6 †

48.8%
40.0 †

55.3%
46.3 †

59.9%
51.4 †

63.1%
55.2 †

65.6%
57.8 †

67.3%
59.6 †

68.6%
60.9 †

69.7%
62.0 †

22.6%
27.4 †
23.1
25.9

36.4%
42.2 †
36.1
40.9

45.9%
51.6 †
45.7
51.6 †

52.4%
58.2 †
51.5
55.5

57.4%
63.0 †
55.7
59.7

60.9%
66.0 †
59.2
63.2

63.5%
68.5 †
61.3 †
66.6

65.3%
70.2 †
62.7 †
68.0

66.6%
71.6 †
63.9 †
69.3

67.9%
72.7 †
64.5 †
70.3

14.4 †
21.5

25.8 †
34.4

36.3 †
39.4

42.9 †
53.2

47.9 †
56.4

50.1 †
57.6

52.1 †
60.3

53.6 †
62.6

54.5 †
63.0

55.9 †
63.2

30.8%
25.6 †
19.8 †
20.6
13.6
12.3

47.0%
40.3 †
31.8 †
33.3
20.2
17.4

57.2%
50.2 †
40.3 †
42.3
25.0
21.0

63.7%
57.2 †
45.9 †
48.3
28.2
21.6

68.4%
62.0 †
50.4 †
53.0
30.6
22.9

71.9%
65.3 †
53.5 †
56.3
32.8
23.0

74.5%
67.9 †
55.8 †
58.7
34.0
26.1

76.0%
69.9 †
57.0 †
60.0
35.4
26.3

77.6%
71.3 †
58.2 †
61.2
36.1
26.5

78.6%
72.5 †
59.1 †
62.2
36.3
26.5

Note: Estimates are based on prisoners released across the 22 states that could provide the necessary court data. See appendix table 5 for
standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level. The significance tests were not conducted on age subcategories.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

7

About 6 in 10 released prisoners across 18 states
returned to prison within 10 years
The percentage of persons released from state prison
who were returned to prison for a new sentence
or a probation or parole violation is based on data
from the 18 states that could provide such data (see
Methodology). Almost half (49%) of released prisoners
had a probation or parole violation or an arrest for a
new offense within 3 years that led to imprisonment
(figure 2). This percentage increased to about 6 in 10
(61%) within 10 years.
During the 10-year follow-up period, male released
prisoners (62%) were more likely than female released
prisoners (47%) to return to prison following release
(table 8). By the end of Year 10 following release, a
greater percentage of black (63%) than white (59%)
prisoners had returned to prison. Meanwhile, a greater
percentage of prisoners age 24 or younger (69%) than
those ages 25 to 39 (64%) or age 40 or older (53%) at
release had returned to prison within 10 years.

Figure 2
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 2008
who had a new arrest, conviction, or return to prison
after release, by year following release
Percent
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
1st

Arresta
Convictionb
Return to prisonc

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

Year after release
Note: See tables 4, 7, and 8 for estimates and appendix tables 2, 5, and 6
for standard errors.
aEstimates are based on prisoners released across the 24 states in the
study who had a new arrest.
bEstimates are based on prisoners released across the 22 states that
could provide the necessary court data.
cEstimates are based on prisoners released across the 18 states that
could provide the necessary data on persons returned to prison for a
probation or parole violation or an arrest that led to a new sentence.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

Table 8
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 18 states in 2008 who returned to prison for a parole or probation
violation or an arrest that led to a new sentence, by sex, race or ethnicity, age at release, and year following release
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male*
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea*
Blacka
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islandera
Othera,b
Age at release
24 or younger*
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
30.7%

Year 2
42.8%

Year 3
48.6%

Year 4
52.3%

Year 5
55.0%

Year 6
56.9%

Year 7
58.4%

Year 8
59.3%

Year 9
60.1%

Year 10
60.7%

31.7%
22.9 †

44.2%
31.6 †

50.1%
36.3 †

53.9%
39.3 †

56.6%
41.5 †

58.5%
43.6 †

60.0%
44.8 †

61.0%
45.8 †

61.8%
46.5 †

62.4%
47.2 †

28.6%
31.3 †
33.1 †
33.1

40.0%
44.2 †
45.0 †
43.6

46.1%
50.7 †
49.6 †
48.0

50.0%
54.8 †
52.6 †
51.5

52.8%
57.4 †
55.0 †
53.9

54.7%
59.5 †
56.8 †
56.2

56.1%
61.1 †
58.1
57.6

57.2%
62.0 †
58.9
59.1

58.1%
62.9 †
59.5
61.2

58.7%
63.4 †
60.0
61.9

37.8
30.9

48.5
43.1

52.3
49.5

53.1
50.5

55.1
55.7

55.5
56.6

55.5
59.1

55.7
59.8

56.9
59.9

58.8
62.2

34.3%
31.6 †
27.9 †
28.8
20.4
25.5

48.6%
44.3 †
38.0 †
39.3
28.4
28.0

55.3%
50.2 †
43.4 †
44.9
32.3
31.3

59.4%
54.3 †
46.4 †
48.0
34.5
31.8

62.7%
57.1 †
48.5 †
50.2
35.8
32.1

64.7%
59.3 †
50.1 †
51.9
36.6
32.5

66.5%
60.9 †
51.2 †
53.1
37.2
32.6

67.6%
61.9 †
51.9 †
53.9
37.4
32.7

68.5%
62.9 †
52.6 †
54.6
37.5
32.7

69.0%
63.5 †
53.0 †
55.1
37.7
32.7

Note: Estimates are based on prisoners released across the 18 states that could provide the necessary data on persons returned to prison for a
probation or parole violation or an arrest that led to a new sentence. See appendix table 6 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level. The significance tests were not conducted on age subcategories.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

8

The total number of arrests among former
prisoners released in 2008 declined from Year 1 to
Year 10
The approximately 409,300 state prisoners released
across 24 states in 2008 had an estimated 2,197,000
arrests during the 10-year follow-up period (table 9).
The largest portion (14%) of these arrests was made in
Year 1. Ten percent of all arrests were made in Year 5,
and 8% were made in Year 10.
Nearly half of state prisoners released in 2008
were arrested for a drug offense within 10 years
During the 10-year follow-up period, 4 in 10 (40%)
state prisoners released across 24 states in 2008 were
arrested for a violent offense (table 10). Released
prisoners arrested for assault accounted for the largest
percentage of those arrested for a violent offense.
Thirty-one percent of released prisoners were arrested
for assault, while 1% were arrested for homicide, 3%
for rape or sexual assault, 7% for robbery, and 14% for
other types of violent offenses. Nearly half of released
prisoners were arrested for a property (47%) or drug
(47%) offense within 10 years following release.
Sixty-eight percent of released prisoners were arrested
for a public order offense within 10 years. Arrests
for probation and parole violations were included as
public order offenses. Excluding such arrests from the
analysis would have a small impact on the recidivism
rates. The percentage of state prisoners released across
24 states in 2008 who were arrested at least once within
10 years would be 80.5% if arrests for probation and
parole violations were excluded and 81.9% if they were
included. In other words, 98% of released prisoners
who were arrested during the 10-year follow-up period
were arrested for an offense other than a probation or
parole violation.

Table 9
Post-release arrests of state prisoners released in
24 states in 2008, by year of arrest

Total
Year 1
Year 2
Year 3
Year 4
Year 5
Year 6
Year 7
Year 8
Year 9
Year 10

Number
of arrests
2,197,000
301,000
254,000
235,000
229,000
224,000
215,000
199,000
188,000
184,000
169,000

Percent
of arrests
100%
13.7
11.6
10.7
10.4
10.2
9.8
9.0
8.5
8.4
7.7

Standard error
Number
Percent
of arrests
of arrests
21,427
~
3,377
0.15%
3,419
0.14
3,398
0.14
3,514
0.13
3,890
0.14
3,869
0.14
3,973
0.14
3,893
0.14
3,817
0.14
3,552
0.14

Note: Persons could have been arrested more than once for different
types of offenses, and each arrest may involve more than one offense.
The number of post-release arrests is rounded to the nearest 1,000.
Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
~Not applicable.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

Table 10
Percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008
who were arrested within 10 years following release,
by type of post-release arrest offense
Post-release arrest offense
Any
Violent
Homicide
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property
Burglary
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Other property
Drug
Possession
Trafficking
Other drug
Public order
Weapons
DUI/DWI
Other public order
Number of released prisoners

Percent
81.9%
39.6%
1.2
2.5
7.4
31.3
13.5
47.4%
14.5
28.9
16.0
28.2
47.1%
31.7
17.5
28.3
68.3%
14.4
14.2
63.4

Standard error
0.23%
0.33%
0.08
0.11
0.19
0.31
0.24
0.33%
0.25
0.30
0.25
0.31
0.33%
0.31
0.27
0.30
0.27%
0.26
0.24
0.28

409,300

99

Note: Details may not sum to totals because a person may be arrested
for more than one offense. The number of released prisoners is rounded
to the nearest 100.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

9

More than 4 in 10 prisoners released after serving
time for a violent offense were arrested for a
violent offense within 10 years

Prisoners released after serving time for a violent
offense were more likely to be arrested for a
public order offense than other offenses

Among prisoners released in 2008 after serving time
for a violent offense, more than 4 in 10 (44%) were
arrested for a violent offense within 10 years (table 11).
Six percent of prisoners released after serving time for
rape or sexual assault were arrested for rape or sexual
assault within 10 years.

Prisoners released in 2008 after serving time for a
drug offense were arrested more often for a public
order offense (66%) than a drug (58%), property
(40%), or violent (35%) offense during the 10-year
follow-up period. Prisoners released after serving
time for a violent offense were arrested more often
for a public order offense (65%) than a drug (36%),
property (40%), or violent (44%) offense. The pattern
was similar among prisoners released for a property
offense, who were more likely to be arrested for a
public order offense (72%) than a drug (48%), property
(64%), or violent (40%) offense.

Table 11
Percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested within 10 years following release, by
most serious commitment offense and type of post-release arrest offense
Post-release arrest offense
Violent
Property
Rape/
Larceny/
Most serious
Total
sexual
Total
motor
commitment offense
Any violenta Homicide assault Robbery Assault
propertyb Burglary vehicle theft
All released prisoners 81.9% 39.6%
1.2%
2.5%
7.4% 31.3%
47.4%
14.5%
28.9%
Violenta
76.7% 44.2%
1.7%
3.6%
8.5% 35.4%
40.1%
11.2%
22.1%
Homicide
57.4
28.1
2.3
1.8
4.0
21.9
22.9
5.2
11.5
Rape/sexual assault
62.8
25.8
0.5
6.3
2.7
17.5
21.2
4.9
10.4
Robbery
82.5
47.5
1.9
3.0
15.6
36.0
48.9
14.3
31.5
Assault
82.0
52.8
2.2
3.0
7.4
45.0
45.7
13.4
22.9
86.7% 39.7%
0.9%
2.3%
8.4% 30.8%
63.6%
24.1%
44.0%
Propertyb
Burglary
87.4
41.4
0.9
2.7
8.5
32.4
62.9
30.9
42.0
Larceny/motor
vehicle theft
87.6
40.2
1.2
2.5
10.0
30.3
66.7
22.4
49.7
Fraud/forgery
82.2
31.7
0.7
1.4
5.4
25.3
59.8
12.9
38.9
Drug
81.4% 34.8%
1.1%
1.9%
6.2% 27.7%
40.3%
10.0%
22.5%
Public order
82.1% 41.4%
1.3%
2.5%
6.2% 33.0%
42.2%
10.5%
23.2%

Fraud/
forgery
16.0%
11.8%
5.8
6.6
15.2
13.1
23.3%
19.3

Drug
47.1%
36.3%
25.1
17.4
45.9
39.5
48.3%
46.8

Public
order
68.3%
65.1%
45.9
55.8
67.0
70.9
72.1%
72.3

24.0
33.5
13.9%
12.9%

51.9
42.4
57.6%
41.4%

73.8
65.5
65.8%
70.9%

Note: The numerator for each percentage is the number of persons arrested for that offense during the 10-year follow-up period, and the
denominator is the number released after serving time for each type of commitment offense. For prisoners serving time for more than one offense,
the most serious offense is the one with the longest sentence length. Details may not sum to totals because a person may be arrested more than once
for different types of offenses and each arrest may involve more than one offense. See appendix table 7 for standard errors.
aIncludes other violent offenses that are not shown separately.
bIncludes other property offenses that are not shown separately.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

10

About 3 in 4 prisoners released after serving time
for a drug offense were arrested for a nondrug
offense within 10 years

released after serving time for a drug offense were
arrested for a different type of offense than their
commitment offense.

Prisoners released after serving time for a violent
offense (77%) were less likely to be arrested for any
offense than prisoners released after serving time for
a property (87%), drug (81%), or public order (82%)
offense (table 12). Prisoners released after serving time
for a violent offense were more likely to be arrested
for a violent offense (44%) than prisoners released
after serving time for a property (40%), drug (35%), or
public order (41%) offense.

More than 8 in 10 prisoners released after
serving time for a property offense were arrested
for a crime other than a property offense within
10 years

By the end of the 10-year follow-up period, almost
3 in 4 (73%) prisoners who had been released after
serving time for a violent offense and 3 in 4 (75%)

About 7 in 10 (71%) prisoners released for a public
order offense were arrested for a public order offense
within 10 years. More than 8 in 10 (82%) prisoners
whose most serious commitment offense was a
property offense were arrested within 10 years for a
crime other than a property offense. About 6 in 10
(58%) prisoners released after serving time for a drug
offense were arrested for a drug offense within 10 years.

Table 12
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested following release for a type
of offense that was the same as or different from the most serious commitment offense
Most serious commitment offense
Any arrest after release
All released prisoners
Violent*
Property
Drug
Public order
Arrest after release for violent offense
All released prisoners
Violent*
Property
Drug
Public order
Arrest after release for same
type of offense as most serious
commitment offensea
All released prisoners
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order
Arrest after release for different
type of offense from most serious
commitment offensea
All released prisoners
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

42.9%
38.4
49.3 †
40.7 †
41.8 †

58.0%
52.6
64.6 †
56.2 †
57.6 †

66.2%
60.7
72.5 †
64.8 †
65.8 †

71.2%
65.6
77.3 †
70.0 †
70.7 †

74.8%
69.4
80.8 †
73.6 †
74.1 †

77.3%
71.8
83.0 †
76.4 †
77.2 †

79.0%
73.5
84.2 †
78.2 †
79.3 †

80.2%
74.8
85.2 †
79.5 †
80.4 †

81.1%
75.7
86.1 †
80.5 †
81.5 †

81.9%
76.7
86.7 †
81.4 †
82.1 †

8.8%
10.4
8.6 †
7.3 †
9.7

15.2%
17.8
15.1 †
12.4 †
16.8

20.6%
24.4
20.0 †
17.0 †
22.4 †

24.9%
29.3
24.5 †
21.1 †
26.2 †

28.3%
33.2
28.0 †
24.2 †
29.5 †

31.4%
36.1
31.2 †
27.1 †
32.9 †

33.9%
38.5
33.7 †
29.5 †
35.7 †

36.1%
40.7
36.3 †
31.4 †
38.0 †

38.0%
42.6
38.2 †
33.1 †
39.8 †

39.6%
44.2
39.7 †
34.8 †
41.4 †

20.0%
10.4
24.1
18.2
30.5

30.5%
17.8
35.0
29.4
43.9

37.8%
24.4
42.5
36.7
51.8

43.3%
29.3
48.6
42.2
57.5

47.6%
33.2
53.4
46.4
61.1

50.5%
36.1
56.4
49.6
64.0

53.0%
38.5
58.8
52.1
66.5

55.0%
40.7
60.6
54.3
68.3

56.7%
42.6
62.2
56.0
70.0

58.2%
44.2
63.6
57.6
70.9

35.3%
35.6
41.0
34.1
26.5

49.3%
49.0
55.9
48.0
40.2

57.3%
56.4
64.2
56.3
47.8

62.7%
61.5
69.7
61.8
53.2

66.8%
65.4
73.7
65.7
58.0

69.7%
67.9
76.4
68.8
62.1

71.8%
69.6
78.4
71.0
64.6

73.4%
71.1
79.7
72.6
66.6

74.7%
72.2
81.0
74.1
68.0

75.8%
73.3
82.0
75.2
69.2

Note: For prisoners serving time for more than one offense, the most serious offense is the one with the longest sentence length. Each arrest may
include more than one type of offense. “Type of offense” refers to the categories of violent, property, drug, and public order. See appendix table 8 for
standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.
aPercentages for “arrest after release for same type of offense” and “arrest after release for different type of offense” do not sum to the “any arrest
after release” category because categories overlap.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

11

Persons in prison for a violent offense served
longer sentences than other released prisoners
Among prisoners released across 24 states in 2008, the
median time served from the time of their admission
on the original court commitment to their first release
was 15 months (table 13). This number excludes
prisoners released in 2008 who had been admitted

for a conditional release violation. One in five (20%)
prisoners released for the first time since the beginning
of their sentence had served 6 months or less, while
less than 1 in 10 (6%) had served 81 months or more.
The median time served in prison for violent offenders
(29 months) was longer than the median time served for
property (13 months) and drug (13 months) offenders.

Table 13
Time served before first release among state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008, by most serious
commitment offense
Time served in prison
Total
6 months or less
7–12
13–18
19–24
25–36
37–60
61–80
81 or more
Median

All first releases
100%
19.8
23.7
14.5
10.8
11.3
10.2
3.4
6.3
15 mos.

Violent
100%
11.4
13.2
10.8
10.3
12.6
16.5
6.9
18.3
29 mos.

Most serious commitment offense
Property
Drug
100%
100%
24.1
21.9
26.9
27.6
15.3
16.3
9.9
10.9
10.8
11.1
7.9
8.1
2.5
2.2
2.6
2.0
13 mos.
13 mos.

Public order
100%
21.4
26.7
15.2
12.6
10.7
8.7
2.2
2.4
14 mos.

Note: First releases include prisoners released in 2008 for the first time since beginning their sentence and exclude those released under the same
sentence who returned to prison for a conditional release violation. For prisoners serving time for more than one offense, the most serious offense
is the one with the longest sentence length. Estimates exclude prisoners missing data on type of prison admission. Data on prisoners’ time served
were reported for 100% of new court commitments. Details may not sum to totals due to rounding. See appendix table 9 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

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12

Released prisoners who served less time had
higher arrest rates than those who served more
Overall, prisoners who had served less than the
15-month median (81%) were more likely than those
who served more than the median (76%) to be arrested
within 10 years of release (table 14).

Among violent offenders, released prisoners whose
time served was less than the 29-month median (78%)
were more likely than those who served more than
the median (66%) to be arrested within 10 years. Drug
offenders showed a similar arrest pattern: 79% of
those who served less than the 13-month median were
arrested, compared to 75% of those who served more
than the median.

Table 14
Percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested within 10 years, by most serious
commitment offense and median time served in prison before first release

Median time
Most serious commitment offense served in prison
All first releases
15 mos.
Violenta
29 mos.
Murder/nonnegligent manslaughter 129
Rape/sexual assault
49
Robbery
38
Assault
19
13 mos.
Propertyb
Burglary
15
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
11
Fraud/forgery
12
Drug
13 mos.
Public order
14 mos.

Percent of released prisoners who were
arrested within 10 years after serving—
Less than the
More than the
median time served median time served
before first release* before first release
81.1%
75.5% †
78.3%
66.4% †
57.0
42.5 †
63.3
51.9 †
84.7
75.4 †
83.2
75.1 †
84.9%
83.0%
84.5
86.3
85.6
82.1
82.1
77.9 †
79.4%
75.3% †
79.4%
78.2%

Standard error
Less than the
More than the
median time served median time served
before first release before first release
0.44%
0.40%
0.87%
0.75%
0.67
0.68
0.32
0.33
1.70
1.79
1.50
1.62
0.72%
0.70%
1.37
1.01
1.40
1.34
1.32
1.61
0.82%
0.79%
1.14%
1.04%

Note: First releases include prisoners released in 2008 for the first time since beginning their sentence and exclude those released under the same
sentence who returned to prison for a conditional release violation. For prisoners serving time for more than one offense, the most serious offense is
the one with the longest sentence length. Estimates exclude prisoners missing data on type of prison admission. Data on prisoners’ time served were
reported for 100% of new court commitments. Time served was rounded to the nearest month.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level.
aIncludes other violent offenses that are not shown separately.
bIncludes other property offenses that are not shown separately.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

13

Eighty-two percent of prisoners who served 6 months
or less were arrested within 10 years of their first
release, compared to 65% of those who served
61 months or more (table 15). About 81% of prisoners

released after serving 6 months or less for a violent
offense were arrested within 10 years, compared to 60%
of those who served 61 months or more.

Table 15
Percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested within 10 years, by most serious
commitment offense and time served in prison
Most serious commitment offense
All first releases
Violenta
Murder/nonnegligent manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Propertyb
Burglary
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Drug
Public order

6 months
or less
81.7%
81.4%
66.3
65.7
85.3
84.8
85.6%
87.3
85.5
81.7
79.5%
78.6%

Percent of released prisoners who were arrested within 10 years after serving—
61 or more
7–12
13–18
19–24
25–36
37–60
Total
61–80 81 or more
81.0%
80.0%
77.6%
79.0%
75.0%
65.1%
71.4%
61.6%
79.2%
77.5%
75.8%
76.6%
71.5%
59.7%
65.3%
57.5%
65.7
69.0
54.7
57.8
59.1
47.0
57.5
45.9
64.7
65.5
66.6
60.9
57.8
50.6
53.9
49.5
88.7
78.1
87.7
85.2
80.5
71.9
78.6
68.6
82.2
82.8
72.8
83.9
76.4
65.9
61.9
68.4
84.2%
83.9%
84.3%
83.2%
81.8%
79.3%
^
^
81.7
86.5
91.3
87.3
82.7
81.3
^
^
85.3
84.3
76.7
83.4
79.9
80.9
^
^
83.1
81.1
79.0
70.7
77.3
66.5
^
^
79.4%
78.3%
74.1%
75.5%
73.0%
70.3%
^
^
79.9%
79.0%
76.4%
82.4%
77.7%
72.9%
^
^

Note: First releases include prisoners released in 2008 for the first time since beginning their sentence and exclude those released under the same
sentence who returned to prison for a conditional release violation. For prisoners serving time for more than one offense, the most serious offense is
the one with the longest sentence length. Estimates exclude prisoners missing data on type of prison admission. Data on prisoners’ time served were
reported for 100% of new court commitments. See appendix table 10 for standard errors.
^Too few sample cases to form reliable estimates.
aIncludes other violent offenses that are not shown separately.
bIncludes other property offenses that are not shown separately.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

14

About 1 in 6 released state prisoners were
arrested in another state within 10 years
Among prisoners released across 24 states in 2008, 7%
were arrested within 3 years in a state other than the
one that released them, a rate that about doubled to
16% after 10 years (table 16). Male prisoners (16%)

were more likely than female prisoners (13%) to be
arrested in another state within 10 years of release.
During that time, white prisoners (19%) were more
likely to be arrested outside of the state of release
than prisoners who were black (16%), Hispanic
(12%), or Asian, Native Hawaiian, or Other Pacific
Islander (10%).

Table 16
Cumulative percent of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008 who were arrested outside of the state of
release, by sex, race or ethnicity, age at release, and year following release
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male*
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea*
Blacka
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islandera
Othera,b
Age at release
24 or younger*
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
3.0%

Year 2
5.2%

Year 3
7.2%

Year 4
8.9%

Year 5
10.3%

Year 6
11.6%

Year 7
12.8%

Year 8
13.9%

Year 9
15.0%

Year 10
15.9%

3.1%
2.1 †

5.4%
3.9 †

7.4%
5.5 †

9.1%
6.8 †

10.6%
8.2 †

11.9%
9.3 †

13.2%
10.2 †

14.3%
11.2 †

15.3%
11.9 †

16.3%
12.8 †

3.8%
2.6 †
2.1 †
4.6

6.5%
4.8 †
3.4 †
7.1

8.8%
6.7 †
5.2 †
9.9

10.7%
8.3 †
6.5 †
11.2

12.3%
9.8 †
7.5 †
12.4

13.7%
11.1 †
8.7 †
14.0

15.0%
12.4 †
9.6 †
15.0

16.2%
13.4 †
10.5 †
16.5

17.3%
14.5 †
11.3 †
17.2

18.5%
15.5 †
11.9 †
17.8

0.7 †
4.0

1.7 †
6.6

2.5 †
8.1

4.1 †
10.9

4.9 †
12.4

6.0 †
13.2

6.9 †
13.4

10.1 †
14.2

10.1 †
16.2

10.4 †
16.3

3.1%
3.4
2.3 †
2.4
1.6
1.0

5.4%
5.9
4.1 †
4.3
2.8
2.5

7.3%
8.2 †
5.7 †
5.9
4.0
2.6

9.4%
10.1
6.9 †
7.2
4.6
3.0

11.1%
11.7
8.0 †
8.4
5.4
3.1

12.6%
13.1
9.1 †
9.6
5.7
3.5

14.0%
14.3
10.1 †
10.6
6.6
3.8

15.5%
15.7
10.7 †
11.2
6.9
3.9

17.2%
16.8
11.2 †
11.8
7.2
3.9

18.1%
17.9
11.9 †
12.6
7.3
3.9

Note: See appendix table 11 for standard errors.
*Comparison group.
†Difference with comparison group is significant at the 95% confidence level. The significance tests were not conducted on age subcategories.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

15

About half as many state prisoners were arrested
in Year 10 as in Year 1
The annual arrest percentage among prisoners released
across 24 states in 2008 declined by about half (from
43% to 22%) during the 10 years following release.
Prisoners age 24 or younger at release were more likely
than those age 40 or older to be arrested in Year 1 (50%
compared to 38%) as well as at end of the follow-up
period in Year 10 (27% compared to 17%) (table 17).
Forty-four percent of male prisoners were arrested at
least once in Year 1, and 22% in Year 10 (figure 3). By
comparison, 34% of female prisoners were arrested in
Year 1, and 19% in Year 10.

Figure 3
Annual arrest percentage of state prisoners released in
24 states in 2008, by sex
Percent of released prisoners arrested
50
40
30
Male
20
10

Female
1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th 6th 7th
Year after release

8th

9th

10th

Note: Prisoners could have been arrested multiple times after release
(e.g., a prisoner arrested in Year 1 and Year 3 is included in percentages
for both years). See table 17 for estimates and appendix table 12 for
standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

Table 17
Annual arrest percentage of state prisoners released in 24 states in 2008, by sex, race or ethnicity, age at release,
and year following release
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
Whitea
Blacka
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Nativea
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islandera
Othera,b
Age at release
24 or younger
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
42.9%

Year 2
35.7%

Year 3
32.9%

Year 4
31.0%

Year 5
29.0%

Year 6
27.6%

Year 7
25.4%

Year 8
24.2%

Year 9
23.0%

Year 10
21.9%

43.9%
34.4

36.4%
30.4

33.4%
28.9

31.4%
27.3

29.3%
26.9

27.9%
25.4

25.7%
23.0

24.6%
21.3

23.4%
19.2

22.3%
18.8

39.6%
45.2
44.2
50.7

34.5%
38.0
34.1
40.3

32.4%
34.8
30.6
36.1

30.3%
32.9
28.7
32.5

28.9%
30.4
26.9
29.1

27.1%
28.5
26.8
32.3

25.3%
26.1
24.3
30.5

24.3%
24.4
23.8
26.2

22.6%
23.8
22.2
23.7

22.2%
22.5
20.4
26.8

41.3
44.6

34.0
32.3

29.2
28.2

29.3
36.5

26.9
30.1

25.3
26.5

24.5
21.4

21.6
21.2

19.3
20.4

22.8
13.3

49.8%
44.1
37.9
39.2
28.5
22.9

40.4%
37.3
31.2
32.5
21.2
22.3

37.2%
34.7
28.4
29.6
19.8
14.6

34.5%
32.8
26.8
28.3
15.0
11.8

32.5%
30.5
25.3
26.7
15.3
7.3

32.1%
28.8
23.7
25.2
13.6
3.3

29.2%
27.1
21.2
22.8
9.6
7.4

29.2%
26.2
19.1
20.5
8.4
3.4

28.2%
24.9
17.7
19.4
5.2
4.9

27.1%
24.0
16.7
18.1
5.3
3.9

Note: Prisoners could have been arrested multiple times after release (e.g., a prisoner arrested in Year 1 and Year 3 is included in percentages for both
years). See appendix table 12 for standard errors.
aExcludes persons of Hispanic origin (e.g., “white” refers to non-Hispanic whites and “black” refers to non-Hispanic blacks).
bIncludes persons of two or more races or other unspecified races.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

16

Generally, prisoners were less likely to be arrested the
longer they went without being arrested following
release. While 43% of released prisoners had their
first arrest in Year 1, 13% of the released prisoners not

arrested after 4 years had their first arrest in Year 5, and
4% of the released prisoners not arrested after 9 years
had their first arrest in Year 10 (table 18).

Table 18
Percent of state prisoners arrested during the year who had not been arrested since release in 24 states in 2008
All released prisoners

Year 1
42.9%

Year 2
26.6%

Year 3
19.5%

Year 4
14.8%

Year 5
12.6%

Year 6
10.0%

Year 7
7.3%

Year 8
5.6%

Year 9
4.9%

Year 10
4.2%

Note: Percentages are based on the number of released prisoners who were arrested during the year, divided by the number who had not been
arrested since being released in 2008. See appendix table 13 for standard errors.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

17

Methodology
Sampling
This study estimates the recidivism patterns of persons
released in 2008 from state prisons across 24 states.
States were included if the state departments of
corrections (DOCs) provided the prisoner records
and the FBI or state identification numbers of the
released prisoners for the study. The prisoner records
and identification numbers were collected through
the National Corrections Reporting Program (NCRP),
which is administered by the Bureau of Justice Statistics
(BJS). The identification numbers were needed to
obtain criminal history data from the FBI and state
repositories on the released prisoners. The prisoner
records included information on each prisoner’s sex,
race, ethnicity, date of birth, commitment offenses,
sentence length, type of prison admission and release,
and date of release.
The 24 states in the study were Alabama, Arizona,
Arkansas, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri,
Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota,
Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina,
Texas, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming (map 1).
These states were responsible for 69% of all persons
released from state prisons in 2008 nationwide.
The study excludes prisoners who were sentenced to
less than 1 year, were transferred to the custody of
another authority, died in prison, were released on
MAP 1
States included in the BJS recidivism study of state
prisoners released in 2008
WA
ND

OR

WI

WY

IA

NE
CO

CA

NY
MI

PA

MO
OK

AZ
TX

AR

AL

GA

SC

LA
FL

.,,_

'Q

'

Q

"

....... ,,,.,

'l:'I,

~

ti HI

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

NJ

bond, were released to participate in an appeal of a
case, escaped from prison, or were absent without
official leave. When a prisoner was released multiple
times in the same state during 2008, the first release
during the year was used for the study.
A stratified random sample of all prisoners eligible
for the study was selected. All prisoners released after
serving time for homicide, rape, or sexual assault were
included in the sample. Within each state, prisoners
released after serving time for other offenses were
sorted by the county in which the sentence was
imposed, race or ethnicity, age, and most serious
commitment offense. Male and female prisoners were
sampled separately from each state at sizes that yielded
estimates with equal variance to increase the sample
of female prisoners and improve the precision of their
recidivism estimates. Each prisoner in the sample was
assigned a weight based on the probability of selection
within the state.
Collecting and processing criminal history data
for recidivism research
BJS used the state and FBI identification numbers to
collect criminal history data on released prisoners
through the FBI’s Interstate Identification Index
(III) via the International Justice and Public Safety
Network (Nlets), which is a computer-based network
responsible for interstate transmissions of federal
and state criminal history records. After BJS received
approval from the FBI’s Institutional Review Board
to conduct this recidivism study, Nlets transmitted
the identification numbers of sampled prisoners to
the FBI’s III system to collect criminal history data on
behalf of BJS. To conduct this recidivism study with a
10-year follow-up period, criminal history data on the
prisoners released in 2008 were collected in 2019.
The criminal history data collected on prisoners
released in 24 states included arrests and dispositions,
from state and federal criminal justice agencies across
the 50 states and the District of Columbia, prior to and
following release from prison in 2008. Nlets parsed
fields from individual criminal history records into
a relational database with a uniform record layout
consisting of state- and federal-specific numeric
codes and text descriptions (e.g., criminal statutes and
case outcome information). BJS assessed the accuracy
and completeness of the criminal history data, which
included an examination of the identification numbers
that failed to match a record in the FBI’s III. BJS also
compared individual identifiers in the NCRP data
to those reported in the criminal history data to

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

18

ensure the demographic information was accurate
and complete.
BJS standardized the content of the relational database
into a uniform coding structure to support analysis.
During data processing and analysis, the impact of
varying criminal history reporting practices on overall
recidivism estimates were minimized. For example,
administrative records (e.g., criminal registrations or
issuances of a warrant) and procedural records (e.g.,
transfers of a suspect to another jurisdiction) that
did not refer to an actual arrest were identified and
removed from the criminal history data. Among traffic
offenses, only vehicular manslaughter, driving under
the influence or driving while intoxicated (DUI/DWI),
and hit-and-run offenses were included in this report
because state criminal history data vary widely in their
coverage of other traffic offenses.
This study used death information from the FBI’s III
to identify individuals who died during the 10-year
follow-up period. BJS removed from its recidivism
analysis about 600 prisoners who died during
the 10-year follow-up period from among the
approximately 77,300 released prisoners who were
originally sampled for this study.
Missing criminal history data
Among the approximately 76,700 prisoners in the
final sample, excluding those who were deceased,
BJS obtained criminal history data on approximately
73,600 (95.9%) prisoners during the follow-up period.
(See appendix table 1.) BJS did not receive criminal
history data on about 3,100 prisoners because either
the state DOCs were unable to provide their FBI or
state identification number or the prisoner had an
identification number that did not link to a criminal
history record. To ensure the recidivism statistics were
representative of the approximately 76,700 prisoners
in the analysis, BJS developed weighting-class
adjustments to account for prisoners without criminal
history information and for nonresponse error.
To create the statistical adjustments, the approximately
76,700 sampled prisoners were stratified into groups
with the same categories of sex, age at release, race
or ethnicity, and most serious commitment offense.
Within each subgroup, statistical weights were applied
to data for the approximately 73,600 prisoners with
criminal history information, so their data could
represent the approximately 3,100 prisoners without
criminal history information. The adjusted weights for

the final sample of about 73,600 prisoners were used
to produce recidivism estimates representative of the
approximately 409,300 persons released from prison
across the 24 states in 2008.
Conducting tests of statistical significance
This study was based on a sample, not a complete
enumeration, so the estimates are subject to sampling
error. One measure of the sampling error associated
with an estimate is the standard error. The standard
error can vary from one estimate to the next. In
general, an estimate with a smaller standard error
provides a more accurate approximation of the true
value than an estimate with a larger standard error.
Estimates with relatively large standard errors should
be interpreted with caution.
BJS conducted tests to determine whether differences
in the estimates were statistically significant when the
sampling error is taken into account. All differences
discussed in this report are statistically significant at
the 95% confidence level, unless noted otherwise. The
standard errors and statistical significance tests were
generated using the “survey” package in R.2
Recidivism measures
This study used several measures to examine the
recidivism patterns of former state prisoners.
The cumulative arrest percentage is the percentage
of released prisoners who were arrested at least
once during the follow-up period. For example,
the cumulative arrest percentage for Year 3 is the
percentage of prisoners who had at least one arrest
during the first, second, or third years following
their release.
The annual arrest percentage is the percentage of
released prisoners who were arrested at least once
during a particular year within the follow-up period.
The denominator for each percentage from Years 1
through 10 is the total number of prisoners released in
the 24 states during 2008. The numerator is the number
of former prisoners arrested during the particular year,
regardless of whether they had been arrested during a
prior year.
2See Lumley, T. (2019). Survey: Analysis of complex survey samples

[R package version 3.35-1]. https://cran.r-project.org/web/
packages/survey/index.html; and Lumley, T. (2004). Analysis of
complex survey samples. Journal of Statistical Software, 9(8), 1-19.
https://doi.org/10.18637/jss.v009.i08

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

19

The volume of arrest offenses is the total number of
arrest offenses among the released prisoners during
the follow-up period. A former prisoner may have had
multiple arrests for different types of offenses during
the follow-up period, and a single arrest may have
involved charges for more than one crime.
The cumulative percent with an arrest that led to
conviction is based on the time from release to the
first date of arrest that led to a conviction, not the
date of the conviction. The arrests that occurred
within the follow-up period were tracked for 4 more
months after Year 10 to determine whether the case
outcomes led to a subsequent conviction. This measure
included prisoners released in 22 of the study’s
24 states. Prisoners released in Alabama and Louisiana
were excluded because the disposition information
from these states were generally not linked to the
associated arrest.
The cumulative percent who returned to prison is the
percentage who had an arrest or a technical violation
of a condition of release within 10 years of release from
prison in 2008 that resulted in a return to prison. This
measure incorporates the criminal history data from
the FBI and state repositories and the prisoner records
obtained from the state DOCs through the NCRP. The
criminal history data provided information on arrests
that resulted in a prison sentence during the 10-year
follow-up period either within or outside of the state
that released the prisoner. BJS used 2008 to 2018 NCRP
prison admission data to supplement the criminal
history data with information on released prisoners
who returned to prison within the state that released
them on probation or parole violations or for sentences
for new crimes. The return-to-prison analysis included
prisoners released in 18 states for which the necessary
data were available for the 10-year follow-up period.
The 18 states were Arizona, California, Colorado,
Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New
Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon,
Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin,
and Wyoming.
Offense definitions
Violent offenses include homicide, rape or sexual
assault, robbery, assault, and other unspecified
violent offenses.
Homicide includes murder, nonnegligent
and negligent manslaughter, and unspecified
homicide offenses.

Murder is (1) intentionally causing the death
of another person without extreme provocation
or legal justification, or (2) causing the death
of another while committing or attempting to
commit another crime.
Nonnegligent (or voluntary) manslaughter
is intentionally and without legal justification
causing the death of another when acting under
extreme provocation.
Negligent (or involuntary) manslaughter is
causing the death of another person through
recklessness or gross negligence, without
intending to cause death. Negligent manslaughter
also includes vehicular manslaughter but
excludes vehicular murder (intentionally killing
someone with a motor vehicle), which is classified
as murder.
Rape or sexual assault includes (1) forcible
intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral) with a female
or male; (2) forcible sodomy or penetration with
a foreign object (sometimes called “deviate sexual
assault”); (3) forcible or violent sexual acts not
involving intercourse; (4) nonforcible sexual acts
with a minor (such as statutory rape or incest with
a minor); and (5) nonforcible sexual acts with
someone unable to give legal or factual consent due
to intellectual or physical disability or intoxication.
Robbery is the unlawful taking of property that is in
the immediate possession of another, by force or the
threat of force. It includes forcible purse snatching
but excludes nonforcible purse snatching.
Assault includes aggravated, simple, and
unspecified assault.
Aggravated assault includes (1) intentionally
and without legal justification causing serious
bodily injury, with or without a deadly weapon;
and (2) using a deadly or dangerous weapon
to threaten, attempt, or cause bodily injury,
regardless of the degree of injury, if any. It
also includes attempted murder, aggravated
battery, felonious assault, and assault with a
deadly weapon.
Simple assault includes intentionally and without
legal justification causing less-than-serious bodily
injury without a deadly or dangerous weapon, and
attempting or threatening bodily injury without a
dangerous or deadly weapon.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

20

Property offenses include burglary, fraud or forgery,
larceny, motor vehicle theft, and other unspecified
property offenses.
Burglary is the unlawful entry of a fixed structure
used for regular residence, industry, or business,
with or without the use of force, to commit a felony
or theft.
Larceny is the unlawful taking of property other
than a motor vehicle from the possession of another,
by stealth and without force or deceit. It includes
pocket picking, nonforcible purse snatching,
shoplifting, and thefts from motor vehicles. It
excludes receiving or reselling stolen property (or
both) and thefts through fraud or deceit.
Motor vehicle theft is the unlawful taking of a
self-propelled road vehicle owned by another.
It includes the theft of automobiles, trucks, and
motorcycles but not the theft of boats, aircraft,
or farm equipment (classified as larceny). It
also includes receiving, possessing, stripping,
transporting, and reselling stolen vehicles and
unauthorized use of a vehicle (joyriding).
Fraud/forgery is the use of deceit or intentional
misrepresentation to unlawfully deprive persons of
their property or legal rights. It also includes offenses
such as embezzlement, check fraud, confidence
games, counterfeiting, and credit card fraud.
Other property offenses include arson, stolen
property offenses, possession of burglary tools,
damage to property, trespassing, and other
unspecified property crimes.
Drug offenses include possession, trafficking, and
other unspecified drug offenses.
Drug possession includes possession of an illegal
drug but excludes possession with intent to sell.

Other drug offenses include offenses involving drug
paraphernalia, forged or unauthorized prescriptions,
and other unspecified drug offenses.
Public order offenses include violations of the peace
or order of the community or threats to public health
or safety through unacceptable conduct, interference
with a governmental authority, and the violation of
civil rights or liberties. It includes weapons, DUI/DWI,
nonviolent sex offenses, liquor law violation, and other
unspecified public order offenses.
Weapons offenses include the unlawful sale,
distribution, manufacture, alteration, transportation,
possession, and use of a deadly or dangerous weapon
or accessory.
DUI/DWI is driving under the influence or driving
while intoxicated.
Other public order offenses include probation and
parole violations, obstruction of justice, contempt
of court, failure to appear, commercialized vice,
nonviolent sex offenses, liquor law violations,
bribery, invasion of privacy, disorderly conduct,
contributing to the delinquency of a minor, and
other unspecified offenses.
Arrests for probation and parole violations
In this report, arrests for probation and parole
violations were included as public order offenses.
Excluding such arrests from the analysis would have a
small impact on the recidivism rates. The percentage
of state prisoners released across 24 states in 2008 who
were arrested at least once within 10 years would be
80.5% if arrests for probation and parole violations
were excluded and 81.9% if they were included. In
other words, 98% of released prisoners who were
arrested during the 10-year follow-up period were
arrested for an offense other than a probation or
parole violation.

Drug trafficking includes manufacturing,
distributing, selling, smuggling, and possessing a
drug with intent to sell.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

21

App

State
All states
Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Iowa
Louisiana
Michigan
Missouri
Nebraska
New Jersey
New York
North Dakota
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
South Carolina
Texas
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

Released prisoners
included in the study
Weighted
totala
Sample sizea
409,300
76,700
8,700
2,700
15,200
3,100
13,800
3,200
111,400
9,100
10,200
2,800
35,500
5,100
18,400
4,100
1,400
900
4,700
1,900
11,800
3,000
13,400
4,000
17,000
3,600
2,000
1,300
13,100
3,000
25,900
4,800
1,000
700
8,100
2,600
4,800
2,300
15,700
3,700
9,900
2,700
49,000
5,700
7,900
2,600
10,000
3,300
700
600

Criminal history
data collected
Numbera Percentb
73,600
95.9%
2,000
75.2
3,100
99.7
2,900
91.2
9,000
98.4
2,800
99.8
5,000
97.7
4,000
98.3
900
98.7
1,500
79.6
3,000
99.4
3,900
96.4
3,600
99.8
1,000
78.4
3,000
99.2
4,200
87.8
700
99.3
2,400
93.4
2,200
98.1
3,600
99.1
2,600
97.6
5,700
99.9
2,600
99.9
3,300
99.9
500
89.9

Note: This study excludes released prisoners whose sentence was less
than 1 year; releases to custody, detainer, or warrant; releases due to
death; escapes or absences without leave; transfers; administrative
releases; and releases on appeal. The first release was selected for
persons released from prison in the same state multiple times during
2008. The study also excludes sampled prisoners who died during the
follow-up period.
aThe number of released prisoners is rounded to the nearest 100.
Details may not sum to totals due to rounding.
bPercentages are based on the unrounded sample sizes.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners
Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

22

App
Number of
Characteristic
released prisoners
All released prisoners
99
Sex
Male
95
Female
29
Race/ethnicity
White
1,255
Black
1,234
Hispanic
1,226
American Indian/
Alaska Native
245
Asian/Native Hawaiian/
Other Pacific Islander
165
Other
278
Age at release
24 or younger
956
25–39
1,351
40 or older
1,294
40–54
1,256
55–64
472
65 or older
199

Year 1
0.32%

Year 2
0.30%

Year 3
0.28%

Year 4
0.27%

Year 5
0.25%

Year 6
0.24%

Year 7
0.24%

Year 8
0.23%

Year 9
0.23%

Year 10
0.23%

0.36%
0.37

0.34%
0.37

0.31%
0.36

0.30%
0.35

0.28%
0.34

0.27%
0.33

0.26%
0.32

0.26%
0.31

0.26%
0.31

0.25%
0.30

0.48%
0.50
0.90

0.46%
0.46
0.86

0.43%
0.42
0.81

0.40%
0.39
0.78

0.38%
0.36
0.74

0.37%
0.34
0.72

0.35%
0.33
0.70

0.34%
0.32
0.70

0.34%
0.31
0.69

0.33%
0.31
0.68

2.54

2.21

1.96

1.88

1.83

1.79

1.77

1.75

1.72

1.72

3.73
5.35

3.44
5.08

3.27
4.87

3.20
4.67

3.18
4.23

3.15
4.18

3.14
4.18

3.04
4.03

3.03
4.03

3.03
4.03

0.83%
0.46
0.57
0.61
1.80
4.48

0.74%
0.43
0.55
0.59
1.83
4.81

0.67%
0.40
0.53
0.56
1.81
4.72

0.63%
0.37
0.51
0.53
1.79
4.67

0.59%
0.35
0.48
0.50
1.77
4.63

0.55%
0.33
0.47
0.49
1.74
4.63

0.53%
0.32
0.46
0.47
1.72
4.59

0.51%
0.31
0.45
0.47
1.71
4.59

0.50%
0.31
0.45
0.46
1.71
4.58

0.48%
0.30
0.44
0.46
1.70
4.57

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

23

App

All released prisoners
Most serious commitment
offense
Violent
Homicide
Murder/nonnegligent
manslaughter
Negligent manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Other violent
Property
Burglary
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Other property
Drug
Possession
Trafficking
Other drug
Public order
Weapons
Other public order
Type of prison admission
New court commitment
Conditional release violation

Number of
released prisoners Year 1
99
0.32%

Year 2
0.30%

Year 3
0.28%

Year 4
0.27%

Year 5
0.25%

Year 6
0.24%

Year 7
0.24%

Year 8
0.23%

Year 9 Year 10
0.23% 0.23%

1,099
16

0.63%
0.10

0.60%
0.12

0.57%
0.13

0.54%
0.13

0.51%
0.14

0.49%
0.14

0.48%
0.14

0.47%
0.14

0.47%
0.14

0.46%
0.14

15
10
17
703
839
445
1,246
862
884
480
511
1,246
934
951
328
1,023
631
860

0.13
0.17
0.07
1.29
1.23
2.27
0.62
1.01
1.16
1.24
1.71
0.61
1.10
1.03
0.72
0.88
1.88
0.98

0.15
0.20
0.08
1.24
1.16
2.23
0.56
0.93
1.04
1.16
1.50
0.58
1.03
0.98
0.74
0.83
1.66
0.95

0.17
0.22
0.08
1.17
1.09
2.07
0.51
0.86
0.92
1.10
1.37
0.55
0.96
0.93
0.71
0.78
1.50
0.90

0.17
0.22
0.08
1.11
1.02
2.02
0.48
0.80
0.86
1.04
1.23
0.52
0.91
0.88
0.69
0.73
1.41
0.86

0.18
0.23
0.08
1.02
0.98
1.87
0.44
0.73
0.80
1.00
1.11
0.50
0.87
0.85
0.66
0.70
1.35
0.82

0.18
0.23
0.08
0.99
0.96
1.80
0.42
0.71
0.75
0.96
1.05
0.48
0.82
0.81
0.64
0.66
1.25
0.78

0.18
0.23
0.08
0.96
0.95
1.78
0.41
0.69
0.75
0.94
1.02
0.46
0.79
0.80
0.62
0.63
1.14
0.75

0.18
0.23
0.08
0.95
0.92
1.76
0.40
0.66
0.73
0.92
1.00
0.45
0.77
0.79
0.60
0.62
1.11
0.74

0.18
0.23
0.08
0.94
0.91
1.75
0.39
0.65
0.72
0.91
0.97
0.45
0.77
0.77
0.59
0.61
1.06
0.73

0.18
0.23
0.08
0.92
0.90
1.69
0.39
0.64
0.71
0.89
0.97
0.44
0.76
0.75
0.57
0.60
1.04
0.72

1,242
1,232

0.36%
0.68

0.36%
0.58

0.35%
0.52

0.34%
0.47

0.32%
0.43

0.31%
0.41

0.31%
0.39

0.30%
0.38

0.30%
0.38

0.29%
0.37

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

App
Number of
released prisoners Year 1
All released prisoners
99
0.32%
Number of prior arrests
4 or fewer
842
0.48%
2 or fewer
544
0.63
3–4
705
0.69
5–9
1,134
0.54
10 or more
1,211
0.52
Age at first arrest
17 or younger
1,267
0.64%
18–19
1,280
0.59
20–24
1,097
0.66
25–29
655
1.09
30–34
446
1.58
35–39
309
1.90
40 or older
281
1.92

Year 2
0.30%

Year 3
0.28%

Year 4
0.27%

Year 5
0.25%

Year 6
0.24%

Year 7
0.24%

Year 8
0.23%

Year 9
0.23%

Year 10
0.23%

0.53%
0.72
0.75
0.55
0.46

0.54%
0.74
0.74
0.52
0.41

0.53%
0.75
0.72
0.50
0.38

0.52%
0.75
0.70
0.48
0.35

0.51%
0.75
0.68
0.46
0.34

0.51%
0.74
0.67
0.45
0.33

0.50%
0.74
0.66
0.44
0.32

0.49%
0.74
0.65
0.43
0.32

0.49%
0.73
0.64
0.42
0.31

0.57%
0.54
0.64
1.11
1.61
1.94
2.08

0.51%
0.50
0.61
1.08
1.58
2.02
2.16

0.47%
0.47
0.58
1.06
1.55
2.07
2.14

0.43%
0.43
0.56
1.04
1.51
2.06
2.12

0.40%
0.41
0.54
1.02
1.47
2.05
2.11

0.39%
0.40
0.53
1.00
1.44
2.04
2.10

0.38%
0.39
0.52
0.99
1.43
2.03
2.10

0.37%
0.38
0.51
0.99
1.41
2.02
2.11

0.36%
0.37
0.51
0.98
1.39
2.01
2.10

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

24

App
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islander
Other
Age at release
24 or younger
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
0.31%

Year 2
0.34%

Year 3
0.34%

Year 4
0.34%

Year 5
0.33%

Year 6
0.32%

Year 7
0.32%

Year 8
0.31%

Year 9
0.31%

Year 10
0.31%

0.34%
0.33

0.38%
0.38

0.38%
0.40

0.38%
0.40

0.37%
0.39

0.36%
0.39

0.36%
0.38

0.35%
0.38

0.35%
0.38

0.34%
0.38

0.44%
0.51
0.78
2.26

0.50%
0.54
0.87
2.56

0.50%
0.54
0.90
2.53

0.50%
0.52
0.90
2.49

0.48%
0.51
0.89
2.46

0.47%
0.50
0.87
2.43

0.46%
0.48
0.86
2.34

0.45%
0.47
0.86
2.33

0.45%
0.47
0.85
2.32

0.44%
0.46
0.84
2.31

2.39
4.52

3.16
5.24

3.69
5.30

3.75
5.22

3.70
5.11

3.68
5.08

3.66
4.95

3.65
4.87

3.65
4.86

3.63
4.85

0.82%
0.44
0.50
0.54
1.50
3.68

0.87%
0.49
0.58
0.62
1.67
4.16

0.85%
0.49
0.59
0.63
1.77
4.49

0.82%
0.48
0.60
0.63
1.80
4.48

0.79%
0.46
0.59
0.62
1.81
4.47

0.76%
0.45
0.58
0.61
1.83
4.47

0.74%
0.44
0.58
0.61
1.84
4.68

0.73%
0.43
0.57
0.60
1.84
4.68

0.71%
0.43
0.57
0.60
1.84
4.67

0.70%
0.42
0.57
0.59
1.84
4.67

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

App

Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islander
Other
Age at release
24 or younger
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
0.35%

Year 2
0.35%

Year 3
0.35%

Year 4
0.35%

Year 5
0.35%

Year 6
0.34%

Year 7
0.34%

Year 8
0.34%

Year 9
0.34%

Year 10
0.34%

0.39%
0.38

0.39%
0.40

0.39%
0.41

0.39%
0.41

0.38%
0.42

0.38%
0.42

0.38%
0.42

0.38%
0.42

0.38%
0.42

0.38%
0.42

0.54%
0.58
0.89
2.74

0.54%
0.59
0.90
2.70

0.54%
0.57
0.90
2.65

0.53%
0.56
0.89
2.61

0.52%
0.55
0.88
2.58

0.52%
0.55
0.87
2.56

0.52%
0.54
0.87
2.55

0.51%
0.54
0.87
2.53

0.51%
0.53
0.86
2.47

0.51%
0.53
0.86
2.46

7.11
5.87

6.73
6.10

6.53
6.04

6.50
6.02

6.40
5.87

6.39
5.86

6.39
5.74

6.38
5.72

6.31
5.72

6.20
5.58

0.94%
0.51
0.62
0.66
1.91
5.24

0.93%
0.52
0.63
0.68
2.02
5.16

0.91%
0.51
0.63
0.67
2.03
5.24

0.89%
0.50
0.63
0.67
2.03
5.22

0.87%
0.49
0.62
0.66
2.02
5.20

0.86%
0.49
0.62
0.66
2.02
5.19

0.85%
0.48
0.62
0.65
2.02
5.19

0.84%
0.48
0.62
0.65
2.02
5.18

0.84%
0.47
0.61
0.65
2.02
5.18

0.83%
0.47
0.61
0.65
2.02
5.18

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

25

App

Most serious
commitment offense
All released prisoners
Violent
Homicide
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Property
Burglary
Larceny/motor
vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Drug
Public order

Any
0.23%
0.46%
0.14
0.08
0.92
0.90
0.39%
0.64

Total
violent
0.33%
0.62%
0.12
0.07
1.28
1.22
0.62%
1.00

0.71
0.89
0.44%
0.60%

1.19
1.20
0.59%
0.87%

Post-release arrest offense
Violent
Property
Rape/
Larceny/
sexual
Total
motor
Homicide assault Robbery Assault
property Burglary vehicle theft
0.08% 0.11% 0.19% 0.31%
0.33%
0.25%
0.30%
0.18% 0.24% 0.39% 0.62%
0.62%
0.46%
0.53%
0.04
0.03
0.05
0.10
0.10
0.05
0.08
0.01
0.04
0.03
0.06
0.07
0.03
0.05
0.30
0.49
0.94
1.25
1.27
0.97
1.17
0.40
0.43
0.69
1.22
1.22
0.91
1.01
0.13% 0.20% 0.38% 0.59%
0.59%
0.56%
0.62%
0.17
0.34
0.61
0.95
0.97
0.94
0.99
0.29
0.29
0.13%
0.19%

0.43
0.25
0.18%
0.29%

0.78
0.67
0.33%
0.46%

1.12
1.16
0.56%
0.84%

1.10
1.18
0.60%
0.87%

1.06
0.92
0.41%
0.55%

1.19
1.17
0.51%
0.74%

Fraud/
forgery
0.25%
0.43%
0.06
0.04
0.94
0.83
0.54%
0.82

Drug
0.33%
0.62%
0.11
0.06
1.28
1.20
0.62%
1.01

Public
order
0.27%
0.54%
0.13
0.08
1.12
1.04
0.51%
0.84

1.05
1.17
0.45%
0.61%

1.18
1.22
0.59%
0.87%

0.95
1.10
0.53%
0.73%

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

App
Most serious commitment offense
Any arrest after release
All released prisoners
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order
Arrest after release for violent offense
All released prisoners
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order
Arrest after release for same
type of offense as most serious
commitment offense
All released prisoners
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order
Arrest after release for different
type of offense from most serious
commitment offense
All released prisoners
Violent
Property
Drug
Public order

Year 1

Year 2

Year 3

Year 4

Year 5

Year 6

Year 7

Year 8

Year 9

Year 10

0.32%
0.63
0.62
0.61
0.88

0.30%
0.60
0.56
0.58
0.83

0.28%
0.57
0.51
0.55
0.78

0.27%
0.54
0.48
0.52
0.73

0.25%
0.51
0.44
0.50
0.70

0.24%
0.49
0.42
0.48
0.66

0.24%
0.48
0.41
0.46
0.63

0.23%
0.47
0.40
0.45
0.62

0.23%
0.47
0.39
0.45
0.61

0.23%
0.46
0.39
0.44
0.60

0.20%
0.42
0.36
0.35
0.55

0.25%
0.51
0.46
0.42
0.68

0.28%
0.58
0.51
0.48
0.76

0.30%
0.60
0.55
0.52
0.79

0.31%
0.62
0.57
0.54
0.82

0.32%
0.62
0.59
0.56
0.84

0.32%
0.62
0.60
0.58
0.85

0.32%
0.63
0.61
0.58
0.86

0.33%
0.63
0.62
0.59
0.87

0.33%
0.62
0.62
0.59
0.87

0.28%
0.42
0.55
0.51
0.86

0.32%
0.51
0.60
0.58
0.88

0.33%
0.58
0.62
0.60
0.85

0.33%
0.60
0.62
0.61
0.83

0.33%
0.62
0.62
0.61
0.81

0.32%
0.62
0.61
0.61
0.79

0.32%
0.62
0.61
0.60
0.77

0.32%
0.63
0.60
0.60
0.75

0.32%
0.63
0.59
0.59
0.74

0.31%
0.62
0.59
0.59
0.73

0.32%
0.63
0.62
0.61
0.81

0.31%
0.61
0.59
0.60
0.87

0.30%
0.59
0.55
0.58
0.87

0.29%
0.56
0.52
0.56
0.86

0.28%
0.54
0.49
0.54
0.85

0.27%
0.53
0.47
0.52
0.82

0.27%
0.52
0.45
0.51
0.81

0.26%
0.51
0.44
0.50
0.79

0.26%
0.50
0.43
0.49
0.78

0.26%
0.49
0.43
0.48
0.77

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

26

App

Time served in prison
6 months or less
7–12
13–18
19–24
25–36
37–60
61–80
81 or more

All first releases
0.31%
0.33
0.26
0.22
0.22
0.21
0.13
0.14

Violent
0.49%
0.52
0.46
0.45
0.43
0.48
0.34
0.42

Most serious commitment offense
Property
Drug
0.63%
0.57%
0.65
0.63
0.48
0.53
0.40
0.40
0.41
0.39
0.37
0.34
0.21
0.19
0.22
0.19

Public order
0.85%
0.88
0.66
0.59
0.59
0.55
0.32
0.32

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

App

Most serious commitment offense
All first releases
Violent
Murder/nonnegligent manslaughter
Rape/sexual assault
Robbery
Assault
Property
Burglary
Larceny/motor vehicle theft
Fraud/forgery
Drug
Public order

6 months
or less
0.68%
1.68%
2.18
0.92
3.83
2.36
1.03%
1.92
1.86
1.98
1.22%
1.88%

Percent of released prisoners who were arrested within 10 years after serving—
61 or more
7–12
13–18
19–24
25–36
37–60
Total
61–80 81 or more
0.63%
0.80%
0.91%
0.82%
0.87%
0.90%
1.59%
1.08%
1.74%
1.95%
2.05%
1.43%
1.31%
1.05%
2.31%
1.15%
3.06
2.89
3.04
2.36
1.51
0.55
1.85
0.58
0.84
0.88
0.75
0.68
0.51
0.37
0.74
0.43
3.40
4.72
3.84
2.97
2.61
2.37
3.69
2.93
2.49
2.96
3.79
2.12
2.96
3.85
6.71
4.52
1.02%
1.27%
1.44%
1.54%
1.86%
2.08%
^
^
2.18
2.06
1.56
1.86
2.79
2.80
^
^
1.70
2.47
3.82
2.96
3.90
4.43
^
^
1.56
2.55
2.46
5.14
4.02
6.25
^
^
1.10%
1.50%
1.73%
1.62%
1.76%
2.77%
^
^
1.51%
1.81%
1.95%
2.16%
2.65%
3.90%
^
^

^Too few sample cases to form reliable estimates.
Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

27

App
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islander
Other
Age at release
24 or younger
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
0.10%

Year 2
0.13%

Year 3
0.15%

Year 4
0.17%

Year 5
0.18%

Year 6
0.19%

Year 7
0.20%

Year 8
0.21%

Year 9
0.22%

Year 10
0.23%

0.11%
0.10

0.14%
0.13

0.17%
0.15

0.19%
0.17

0.20%
0.19

0.22%
0.20

0.23%
0.21

0.24%
0.22

0.25%
0.23

0.25%
0.24

0.16%
0.15
0.22
0.76

0.21%
0.20
0.27
0.87

0.25%
0.23
0.34
1.02

0.28%
0.26
0.38
1.07

0.30%
0.28
0.42
1.11

0.31%
0.30
0.45
1.19

0.32%
0.32
0.48
1.22

0.34%
0.34
0.50
1.28

0.35%
0.35
0.52
1.31

0.36%
0.36
0.53
1.34

0.16
1.95

0.48
2.11

0.64
2.29

0.84
2.92

0.91
2.96

1.03
2.99

1.17
3.00

2.35
3.03

2.35
3.45

2.35
3.45

0.24%
0.15
0.15
0.16
0.30
0.69

0.31%
0.19
0.19
0.21
0.40
1.09

0.37%
0.23
0.23
0.25
0.58
1.09

0.42%
0.26
0.25
0.27
0.60
1.11

0.46%
0.27
0.28
0.31
0.64
1.11

0.49%
0.29
0.30
0.33
0.65
1.16

0.51%
0.30
0.32
0.35
0.76
1.17

0.55%
0.32
0.32
0.35
0.77
1.17

0.59%
0.33
0.33
0.36
0.78
1.17

0.59%
0.34
0.34
0.38
0.78
1.17

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

App
Characteristic
All released prisoners
Sex
Male
Female
Race/ethnicity
White
Black
Hispanic
American Indian/Alaska Native
Asian/Native Hawaiian/Other
Pacific Islander
Other
Age at release
24 or younger
25–39
40 or older
40–54
55–64
65 or older

Year 1
0.32%

Year 2
0.32%

Year 3
0.32%

Year 4
0.32%

Year 5
0.31%

Year 6
0.31%

Year 7
0.30%

Year 8
0.30%

Year 9
0.29%

Year 10
0.29%

0.36%
0.37

0.36%
0.36

0.36%
0.36

0.35%
0.35

0.35%
0.35

0.34%
0.35

0.34%
0.34

0.33%
0.33

0.33%
0.31

0.32%
0.31

0.48%
0.50
0.90
2.54

0.48%
0.51
0.88
2.59

0.48%
0.50
0.86
2.53

0.47%
0.50
0.85
2.32

0.46%
0.49
0.83
2.21

0.46%
0.47
0.83
2.40

0.45%
0.47
0.81
2.45

0.45%
0.46
0.82
2.15

0.44%
0.46
0.80
2.12

0.43%
0.44
0.76
2.37

3.73
5.35

3.85
5.13

3.41
4.90

3.46
5.44

3.70
5.13

3.72
5.04

3.42
4.68

3.11
4.56

3.02
4.69

3.52
3.61

0.83%
0.46
0.57
0.61
1.80
4.48

0.83%
0.46
0.56
0.60
1.67
4.83

0.82%
0.46
0.54
0.58
1.60
4.36

0.81%
0.46
0.54
0.58
1.34
4.02

0.80%
0.45
0.53
0.57
1.41
3.01

0.80%
0.44
0.53
0.57
1.42
1.15

0.78%
0.44
0.51
0.55
1.14
3.12

0.79%
0.44
0.49
0.54
1.00
2.31

0.78%
0.43
0.48
0.53
0.58
2.54

0.76%
0.42
0.47
0.51
0.74
2.32

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

App

All released prisoners

Year 1
0.32%

Year 2
0.36%

Year 3
0.36%

Year 4
0.35%

Year 5
0.37%

Year 6
0.35%

Year 7
0.30%

Year 8
0.27%

Year 9
0.26%

Year 10
0.24%

Source: Bureau of Justice Statistics, Recidivism of State Prisoners Released in 2008 data collection, 2008–2018.

RECIDIVISM OF PRISONERS RELEASED IN 24 STATES IN 2008: A 10-YEAR FOLLOW-UP PERIOD (2008–2018) | SEPTEMBER 2021

28

The Bureau of Justice Statistics of the U.S. Department of Justice is the
principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal
victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime,
and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state,
tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable
statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports
improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and
participates with national and international organizations to develop and
recommend national standards for justice statistics. Doris J. James is the
acting director.
This report was written by Leonardo Antenangeli and Matthew R. Durose.
Erica Grasmick verified the report.
Edrienne Su edited the report. Carrie Epps-Carey produced the report.
September 2021, NCJ 256094

IIIIIIIIIIIIIll
IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
NCJ 256094

Office of Justice Programs
Building Solutions • Supporting Communities • Advancing Justice
www.ojp.gov