Pick a Number: Mapping Recidivism Measures and Their Consequences

The Nordic countries are often seen as “exceptional” in that they have moderate punitive policies while also having low rates of crime and recidivism. It is, however, a challenge for comparative recidivism research that recidivism is measured in widely disparate ways. We exploit the richness and flexibility of Norwegian registry data to examine how and how much national recidivism rates may be affected by how, among whom, and for how long recidivism is measured. Our results vary from 9% to 53%, and these numbers could—notwithstanding scientific scrutiny—be taken as a validation as well as a debunking of the abovementioned notion of the Nordic penal exceptionalism.