Recidivism Definition

The tendency of offenders to become repeat offenders is high. These multiple offenses are termed recidivism and encompass multiple offenses in the criminal sense, violent and otherwise. Some theories revolve around recidivism that explain why it happens so often. Though people are defined by what they do, it is often what is not done, or what is done to an individual, that leads to actions such as crime. The focus, however, will be on strain theory and how it causes recidivism even after perpetrators are caught. In the state of Maryland, recidivism is high, particularly in low-income areas such as Baltimore City and the Eastern Shore. One reason this may be is because there are not enough civil servants, police, to keep them in check, and so they offend repeatedly because they are able to get

An example of this is a drug dealer. They know that selling drugs is wrong, but have more than likely been to prison before, meaning that jobs and careers will not hire them based on their criminal past. The rate for these types of criminals re-offending is 68% while the release rates are 72%, especially for first time offenders. With no recourse left to them to make money to feed themselves and their families, money from drugs seems almost a godsend in their situation. The strain placed on them by their situation influences their decision to not only sell drugs, but to sell them repeatedly, even if 35% of them they have already been to prison for this, or unrelated crimes (Monteiro & Frost, 2015). Another background piece of recidivism is the disparity of wealth that exists in the United States, especially by those who have tried to follow the path of the American Dream. What is meant by this is that the American Dream consists of getting educated, following all the laws, and raising a family after getting married. Even while pursuing this dream, careers ask more education of an individual or try to underpay the individual even