June 2006 Missouri:Using data provided by the Missouri Department of Corrections, a sample of men in all offense categories released from Missouri prison in 1998 was analyzed. The sample was analyzed by demographic factors, criminal history, and institutional behavior. The results show that Missouri sex offenders were more likely to be older, white, and have less educational and employment defi cits than the general prison population. Sex offenders were signifi cantly more likely to have consistent employment histories, have been convicted of a prior sex crime, provide moderate risk to the public, have a higher salient factor score, have lower institutional risk scores, and to have spent more time in prison. Sex offenders spent signifi cantly more time in prison than offenders who had committed other types of crime.
Consistent with prior studies on prisoner recidivism, inmates convicted of property crimes had the highest recidivism rates. Sex offenders had the lowest rates of recidivism and the Missouri rates were consistent with national averages. Little variation in recidivism outcomes was observed for sex offender types in the current sample. Although the rates of recidivism vary across offender groups, when these men do recidivate, they are more likely to commit the type of offense for which they were previously imprisoned. For sex offenders in Missouri, however, a smaller percentage were convicted of another sex crime. Analyses to determine which independent variables were predictors of recidivism could not be meaningfully conducted for sex offenders due to the small sample size. Future studies should consider recidivism outcomes from a multi-year cohort of sex offenders.
Comparison of Recidivism Rates (pg-7)
Recidivism statistics by offense type are displayed in Table 7. Recidivism, in the current analyses, is classifi ed as a new conviction for any crime. There is substantial variation in the manner in which recidivism has been measured (Maltz 1984) in past research studies. The reconviction measure is incomplete as it fails to capture criminal behavior that is not reported to the police or does not result in an arrest or reconviction. Using the reconviction measure may increase the chances of Type II errors. Although concerns over measurement are common to research of this type, care should be exercised when making cross-study comparisons of recidivism rates.
Consistent with prior studies on prisoner recidivism, inmates convicted of property crimes had the highest reconviction rates at 47.4 percent. This was followed by prisoners convicted of personal offenses (42.3 percent), other offenses (40.4 percent), and drug offenses (37.5 percent). There was little variation in time to re-conviction among offender groups. Men who were convicted of personal offenses had the shortest times to reconviction. Although, there was little variation in time to failure among sample groups as the average time to reconviction was approximately four years.
Sex offenders had the lowest rates of reconviction (19 percent). The recidivism rate for the current sample is consistent with national studies of recidivism. Recent studies estimate that approximately 10 percent to 15 percent of sex offenders recidivate within 5 years (Hanson and Bussiere 1998). There is also evidence to suggest that reimprisonment rates may be higher. In a study of recidivism outcomes of prisoners released from 12 states, 39 percent of sex offenders were returned back to prison within three years (Langan, Schmitt, and Durose 2003). In addition, 30% percent of inmates released from Missouri prisons in 1998 were retuned to prison within 3 years – 35 percent within five. The difference in statistics reflects the measurement of recidivism. Reimprisonment rates include individuals who were returned to prison for a new offense or a technical violation. The reconviction measure does not include technical violations; therefore, the recidivism rate, as determined by the reconviction outcome, will be lower than a measure that represents reimprisonment. ...continued... Prepared for: Missouri Sentencing Advisory Commission
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