Reoffending refers to the repetition of socially unacceptable or morally questionable behavior despite punishment or training. Recidivism is associated with the criminal justice system and refers to any instance in which a criminal repeats an offense despite being punished for it. High recidivism rates suggest the need for new approaches such as therapy or supportive programs.
The term “reoffending” is generally used to refer to repetitions of behaviors. It is usually used in a negative context, to discuss socially unacceptable or morally questionable behavior that is repeated despite punishment or training to discourage the behavior. Especially in the United States, recidivism is specifically associated with the criminal justice system.
The term derives from the Latin roots re, to “repeat” or “again”, and cade, “to fall”. Relapse is usually thought of as relapse that reverses progress, and is also sometimes called relapse for this reason. This sense of relapse usually implies that the relapse is negative, rather than positive, reflecting a failure from acceptable or healthy behavior. Consequently, reoffending is generally perceived as undesirable.
In the context of society at large, many people talk about recidivism in the sense of not sticking to an alcohol or drug treatment program. Many of these programs have high recurrence rates because they are related to chemical and physical addictions, which can be very difficult to treat. Without conscious effort and a good treatment plan, a participant will eventually slip back into the addiction. People may also use the term more generally to talk about falling back into bad habits, although people don’t usually apply the term to themselves.
In law enforcement terms, recidivism refers to any instance in which a criminal repeats an offense despite being punished for it with fines or prison time. The term can be employed for crimes that are mild, such as petty theft, or serious, such as child molestation or murder. Many critics of penal systems look at their recidivism rates to see whether or not they are effective. A high recidivism rate suggests that a penal system may not be doing its job.
In a criminal sense, recidivism is a serious problem. Crimes of all levels are harmful to victims and most people would like to avoid them. Consequently, administrators of a penal system like to believe that people will not repeat crimes after being punished for them. Such repetition suggests the need for new approaches such as therapy or supportive programs designed to prevent recurrence. Especially with juvenile offenders, there is also a genuine desire for the offender to continue to lead a crime-free life, which can be difficult when crime is the only thing anyone is familiar with.
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