Recidivism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Recidivism - Essay Example In the paragraphs to follow, light shall be shed upon the reasons for recidivism, the measures taken to reduce the recidivism rate, the problems encountered in carrying out those measures, and most importantly, the methods used to measure the recidivism in a society and the problems encountered in attaining an accurate measure of the recidivism. Over 60% of the people released in 1994 were rearrested within 3 years for a severe violation of the law. A startling 25% of the law violators were convicted to prison over a fresh criminal offence and 46.9% were reconvicted. 2.5% of the law breakers previously arrested for rape were rearrested for another rape and statistics for homicide also showed a similar pattern as 1.2% homicide convicts were rearrested for committing another homicide (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2007). Non-sex offenders made up the larger part of the repetition of the offences as compared to sex-offenders. It was observed that non-sex offenders were about six times less likely to be convicted for a repetition of a sex offense. When analyzing Recidivism, it is important to delve into the intricacies of Habitual Offenders and Psychopathy. Both subjects are brought under extensive analysis when a system to reduce recidivism is required. Habitual Offenders Habitual Offenders are law breakers who are classified to have a tendency to commit repetitions of a crime. Legislation is designed to discourage habitual offending tendencies and rehabilitation programs are designed and implemented to allow for habitual offenders to curb and eventually eliminate their tendency to repeat offences. Habitual Offenders are given the highest level of significance by law enforcing agencies in not only western countries but also in eastern countries where habitual offenders are often subjected to constant surveillance (Duhaime, 2008). Law enforcement agencies in certain countries exercise a policy to bring in habitual offenders for questioning when a crime has been committed that can be related to the nature of offence that the habitual offenders are known for. Psychopathy Psychopathy is defined as a bent of mind to commit a crime simply for the sake of breaking it and any amusement or thrill that it gives to the offender (Arkowitz & Lilienfeld, 2007). The term Psychopathy is often substituted by the term sociopathy, however the core of the matter remains the very same. It is a behavioral tendency to carry out destructive actions because of a mindset that is more than often defined as a personality disorder. Psychopathy is one of the most studied and researched of issues under Recidivism because most recidivism offenders are recorded to either be psychopaths or have shown streaks of behavior that can be defined psychopathic. It is important to high light here that media based portrayals of psycho-pathetic behavior are more than often exaggerated and deviate from what the actual mindset of the psychopath. Traditional studies have outlined Psychopathy to be a mix of traits that include a tendency towards egocentricity deceit, manipulative outlook towards achieving desires and a severe deficiency of remorse regarding any activities (Hare, 1996).