Interagency Council on Intermediate Sanctions

2015 Recidivism Update

Hawaii State Department of Health, May, 2016 (excerpts)

This report provides a comparative update to the 2002 Hawaii Recidivism Baseline Study and subsequent updates in 2006 through 2014. Hawaii’s statewide recidivism rate is an important indicator of the Interagency Council on Intermediate Sanctions’ (ICIS) efforts to reduce recidivism by 30% over a ten-year period. Although this ten-year period ended in 2011, the 30% recidivism reduction benchmark remains an important long-term goal.

This study is comprised of 2,464 offenders from the Fiscal Year 2012 cohort, as compiled from the following State agencies:

1. Hawaii State Probation Services – 1,639 Offenders Sentenced to Felony Probation.

2. Hawaii Paroling Authority (HPA) - 560 Offenders Released to Parole.

3. Department of Public Safety (PSD) - 265 Maximum-Term Released Prisoners.

Background: ICIS conducted its first recidivism study in 2002. This baseline study monitored probationers and parolees for criminal rearrests and revocations/technical violations over a three-year follow-up period, and reported a 63.3% recidivism rate (72.9% for parolees and 53.7% for felony probationers). ICIS has since conducted eight additional recidivism update studies, for the FY 2003 and FYs 2005-2011 cohorts, all of which replicated the methodology and recidivism definition adopted in the 2002 baseline study. These update studies retain the methodological consistency required for year-to-year trend comparisons….

Recidivism is defined as any new arrest, or the revocation of probation or parole, within three years of the start of supervision. The data reveal a 47.4% recidivism rate for probationers; a 47.1% recidivism rate for parolees; and a 61.9% recidivism rate for maximum-term released prisoners.

The overall recidivism rate for the entire FY 2012 study cohort is 48.9%.

At the supervision start date, 724 (60.6%) of the 1,194 total recidivists reoffended within the first 12 months of supervision, and 1,026 (85.9%) of the total recidivists reoffended within 24 months from the supervision start date. An additional 168 offenders recidivated between 24 to 36 months from the supervision start date, accounting for the last of the 1,194 total recidivists in the study group….

…the recidivism trend for felony probationers and parolees in the FY 1999 baseline year, FY 2003, and FYs 2005-2012.

The 47.3% recidivism rate for FY 2012 is 2.3 percentage points lower than the FY 2011 rate, and is 16.0 percentage points below the FY 1999 baseline rate of 63.3%.

• Since FY 1999, the recidivism rate has declined 25.3%. …

…the recidivism trend for maximum-term released prisoners in FYs 2005-2012.

• The 61.9% recidivism rate for FY 2012 is 5.6 percentage points below the rate reported in FY 2011, and 14.2 percentage points lower than the FY 2005 recidivism rate.

• The recidivism rate has decreased 18.7% for maximum term released prisoners, since FY 2005….

the disposition status and criminal reconviction rate for 264 prisoners released to parole in FY 2012 and subsequently tracked over a 36-month period.

• Undetermined dispositions, due to pending investigations, arraignment, case continuance, or offenders remanded to other courts accounted for 53.8% of the paroled recidivists.

• Parolees reconvicted of a new criminal offense comprised 20.8% of the paroled recidivists.

• Cases that led to acquittals, dismissals, or not guilty findings accounted for 25.4% of the paroled recidivists….

the disposition status and criminal reconviction rate for 164 maximum term prisoners who were released in FY 2012 and subsequently tracked over a 36-month period.

• Undetermined dispositions, due to pending investigations, arraignment, case continuance, or offenders remanded to other courts accounted for 19.5% of the maximum term released recidivists.

• Maximum-term released prisoners reconvicted of a new criminal offense comprised 44.5% of the 164 maximum-term released recidivists.

• Cases that led to acquittals, dismissals, or not guilty findings accounted for 36.0% of the maximum-term released recidivists….

FY 2012 recidivism rates, by initial offense type and recidivism type.

The differences in recidivism rates for offenders charged with criminal rearrests, revocations violations, and criminal contempt of court were statistically significant by initial offense types.

• Property crime offenders had the highest criminal rearrest rate (38.1%) and total recidivism rate (63.2%).

• Felony “Other” offenders had the highest revocations-violations rate (15.4%) and criminal contempt of court rate (16.1%).

• Sex offenders had the lowest criminal rearrest rate (14.5%), revocations-violations rate (7.3%), and criminal contempt of court rate (5.3%)….

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