recidivism

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vism ri-ˈsi-də-ˌvi-zəm 

: a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior

especially : relapse into criminal behavior

Did you know?

The re- in recidivism is the same re- in relapse and return, and like those words recidivism is about going back: it’s a tendency to relapse, especially into criminal behavior. Recidivism is a 19th century French borrowing that’s ultimately from a Latin word meaning “to relapse into sin or crime.” In borrowing recidivism, English was itself engaging in a kind of recidivism: the same Latin source of recidivism had been nabbed in the 16th century to form the much less common recidivate, meaning “to fall into or exhibit recidivism.”

Examples of recidivism in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Here's one answer: The staggering number of former inmates back in prison three years or less after their release – that 60% recidivism rate – is just 3% for those who stayed with the Rehabilitation Through the Arts program. —Ted Koppel, CBS News, 15 Dec. 2024

Less than 3% of RTA members return to prison vs the national recidivism rate of 60%. —Lynette Rice, Deadline, 10 Dec. 2024

Preventing recidivism is the next big battle, Montoya said. —Sierra Lopez, The Mercury News, 8 Dec. 2024

The program operates in 10 maximum and medium-security men’s and women’s New York State correctional facilities and aims to reduce recidivism rates by providing people who are incarcerated with critical life skills through the arts. —Sean Boyce Johnson, IndieWire, 27 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from French récidivisme, from récidiver "to reappear (of a disease, tumor, etc.), do over, commit a second criminal offense" (going back to Middle French, borrowed from Medieval Latin recidīvāre "to relapse into sin or crime") + -isme -ism — more at recidivate

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

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Medical Definition

recidivism

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vism ri-ˈsid-ə-ˌviz-əm 

: a tendency to relapse into a previous condition or mode of behavior

high recidivism rates after cessation of smoking

—A. E. Kazdin et al.

Legal Definition

recidivism

noun

re·​cid·​i·​vism ri-ˈsi-də-ˌvi-zəm 

: relapse into criminal behavior