New Data Analysis Tool Allows Users to Explore Recidivism Patterns of Released Prisoners

WASHINGTON, Feb. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics released the first in a series of data analysis tools that will allow the public to explore the recidivism patterns of persons involved with the criminal justice system. The new Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool allows users to conduct customized analyses of a large database describing the recidivism of prisoners released in 1994 and followed for a three-year period after release. In 2012, BJS plans to update the tool with new recidivism data on prisoners released in 2005.

The public can use this online tool to analyze a large research database and verify statistics found in government publications, media reports or other sources that use these data. The tool allows users to move beyond the published statistics to explore in more detail the recidivism patterns of released prisoners. Users may examine the recidivism patterns of released prisoners based on one or more attributes, such as gender, age at release, race, Hispanic origin, commitment offense, sentence length, prior arrests and prior commitments. For example, while published reports document the recidivism patterns of women leaving prison, the new tool will allow users to determine the recidivism patterns of younger and older women, women committed for a specific offense or women with different criminal histories.

The Prisoner Recidivism Analysis Tool was developed by Howard N. Snyder, statistician, and Joseph Mulako-Wangota, information technology specialist, at BJS. It can be found at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov.

For additional information about the Bureau of Justice Statistics' statistical reports and programs, please visit the BJS website at http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/.

The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has seven components: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. More information about OJP can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

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SOURCE Bureau of Justice Statistics

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