Recidivism by Conviction Offense Type and Release Status Among Prisoners Released in Iowa

Recidivism rates vary by conviction offense type and release status. Less is understood regarding associations of conviction offense type and release status on the specific recidivism outcomes of overall recidivism, new recidivism, and technical recidivism. This study examined associations of overall recidivism, new recidivism, and technical recidivism over a 3-year period among individuals released from the Iowa Department of Corrections from 2010 to 2014 ( N = 18,947). Recidivism was operationalized as reincarceration in this study. Drug offenders were the largest group released to supervised parole, and the highest proportion of offenders reincarcerated were drug offenders. Those released without supervision had lower odds of overall recidivism. Findings demonstrate that associations of recidivism outcomes vary based on recidivism operationalization, conviction offense type, and release status.