By: Maria-Paula
Governor Ralph Northam this week announced that Virginia has again achieved as it continues to have one of the lowest recidivism rates in the US following a report by the Virginia Department of Corrections.
Recidivism refers to an individual engaging in a new offense within a specified follow-up period that results in a new sentence.
“We all benefit when the individuals in our correctional system have the opportunity to grow, learn, and return to the society as productive citizens. Our success is the direct result of effective reentry programs and strong partnerships across our Commonwealth. I remain grateful to the hardworking professionals at the Virginia Department of Corrections who are dedicated to rehabilitating, transforming lives, and building safer communities,” said Governor Northam.
This is the fifth consistent year that the Commonwealth has either had the lowest or second lowest recidivism rate in the nation.
Amongst the 42 states of the US, Virginia’s recidivism rate remains second at 23.9 percent, one of the lowest reported re-incarcerations of state responsible inmates within three years of their release. South Carolina topped the list with a rate of 21.9 percent.
The 20.6 percent recidivism rate for the fiscal year 2018 cohort of State Responsible releases improves on the 22.3 percent recidivism rate for fiscal year 2017 State Responsible releases.
“Virginia’s low rate of recidivism is the result of the work of dedicated professionals within the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) in collaboration with law enforcement and other local and state partners, said Robert Mosier, Secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. “This effort helps to reduce victimization within the Commonwealth and lowers the overall cost of operating our criminal justice system,” he added.
Mosier applauded the community on its ability to maintain a low recidivism rate resulting to increased safety for families, neighborhoods, and the entire Commonwealth public.
Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) Director Harold Clarke also said Virginia continues to be a leader in corrections and the organization strived for long-lasting public safety focusing on implementing effective programs and reentry services, evidence-based practices, maintaining secure facilities, and providing effective supervision of probationers and parolees in the community. He recognized the tireless efforts of VADOC staff members and collaborators in improving their system.
VADOC calculates the three-year SR re-incarceration rate of SR releases at least every four years to allow all court information to be received and entered in the VADOC database. Out of the 12,449 state-responsible inmates released from incarceration in Virginia in fiscal year 2018 who had an opportunity to recidivate, 2,576 were re-incarceration within three years. Of the 12,551 state responsible inmates released from incarceration in Virginia in fiscal year 2016, 2,997 were also re-incarcerated within three years.
Virginia counts all state responsible sentences after release as recidivism including technical violations and sentences for offenses that occurred prior to release.
The drop in Virginia’s rate between fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2018 may be attributed, at least in part to the courts minimal operation or closure due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing work at VADOC to prepare those releasing from incarceration for success.
Drug abuse and mental health impairment are some factors associated with recidivism in the commonwealth. Reasearch shows that inmates with a history of testing positive for both cocaine and opioids, for instance, had a substantially higher re-incarceration rate than those with no history of testing positive for the substances.