Recidivism
Recidivism means reoffending — when a person who has already been convicted of a crime goes on to commit another crime. Psychologists use recidivism rates to judge whether punishments and treatment programmes actually work.
Real World
Norway's Halden Prison focuses on rehabilitation through education, job training, and maintaining family bonds. Norway's two-year reconviction rate is around 20%, compared with approximately 48% in England and Wales, suggesting that how prisons operate directly affects recidivism.
Exam Focus
Always quote specific recidivism statistics and their source — vague claims like 'reoffending is high' lose AO1 accuracy marks.
Evaluation Scaffold
A four-step framework for high-quality evaluation. Use this for 'assess', 'evaluate', and 'to what extent' questions.
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