A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.

<h4>Objectives</h4>To systematically review recidivism rates internationally, report whether they are comparable and, on the basis of this, develop best reporting guidelines for recidivism.<h4>Methods</h4>We searched MEDLINE, Google Web, and Google Scholar search engines for...

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Main Authors: Seena Fazel, Achim Wolf
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2015-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130390
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author Seena Fazel
Achim Wolf
author_facet Seena Fazel
Achim Wolf
author_sort Seena Fazel
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Objectives</h4>To systematically review recidivism rates internationally, report whether they are comparable and, on the basis of this, develop best reporting guidelines for recidivism.<h4>Methods</h4>We searched MEDLINE, Google Web, and Google Scholar search engines for recidivism rates around the world, using both non-country-specific searches as well as targeted searches for the 20 countries with the largest total prison populations worldwide.<h4>Results</h4>We identified recidivism data for 18 countries. Of the 20 countries with the largest prison populations, only 2 reported repeat offending rates. The most commonly reported outcome was 2-year reconviction rates in prisoners. Sample selection and definitions of recidivism varied widely, and few countries were comparable.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Recidivism data are currently not valid for international comparisons. Justice Departments should consider using the reporting guidelines developed in this paper to report their data.
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spelling doaj-art-db5ff6e4877b43e9ad1e83f6e9337af62025-08-20T03:25:11ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032015-01-01106e013039010.1371/journal.pone.0130390A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.Seena FazelAchim Wolf<h4>Objectives</h4>To systematically review recidivism rates internationally, report whether they are comparable and, on the basis of this, develop best reporting guidelines for recidivism.<h4>Methods</h4>We searched MEDLINE, Google Web, and Google Scholar search engines for recidivism rates around the world, using both non-country-specific searches as well as targeted searches for the 20 countries with the largest total prison populations worldwide.<h4>Results</h4>We identified recidivism data for 18 countries. Of the 20 countries with the largest prison populations, only 2 reported repeat offending rates. The most commonly reported outcome was 2-year reconviction rates in prisoners. Sample selection and definitions of recidivism varied widely, and few countries were comparable.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Recidivism data are currently not valid for international comparisons. Justice Departments should consider using the reporting guidelines developed in this paper to report their data.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130390
spellingShingle Seena Fazel
Achim Wolf
A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.
PLoS ONE
title A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.
title_full A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.
title_fullStr A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.
title_full_unstemmed A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.
title_short A Systematic Review of Criminal Recidivism Rates Worldwide: Current Difficulties and Recommendations for Best Practice.
title_sort systematic review of criminal recidivism rates worldwide current difficulties and recommendations for best practice
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0130390
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