A Study of Recidivism in One Training School

This is a recidivism study of about 800 boys discharged from Berkshire Farm for Boys. The procedures used are described and the recidivism rate (percentage of boys recommitted to cor rectional institutions) is analyzed from several different view points. On the basis of a one-year follow-up, Berkshire's success rate is 84 per cent. The best single estimate of Berkshire's success, based on follow-up periods varying from one to seven years, is 66 per cent. About one-half of the failures can be viewed as partial successes because they became recidivists more than one year after discharge. The evidence indicates that recidivism studies of institutions like Berkshire should use three-year follow- up periods if they are to provide a sufficiently accurate picture.