recidivism
noun
Did you know?
The re- in recidivism is the same re- in relapse and return, and like those words recidivism is about going back: it’s a tendency to relapse, especially into criminal behavior. Recidivism is a 19th century French borrowing that’s ultimately from a Latin word meaning “to relapse into sin or crime.” In borrowing recidivism, English was itself engaging in a kind of recidivism: the same Latin source of recidivism had been nabbed in the 16th century to form the much less common recidivate, meaning “to fall into or exhibit recidivism.”
Examples of recidivism in a Sentence
Nadia Lopez, Axios, 2 Apr. 2025
Bail reform has been tweaked three times since it was enacted in 2019 and gets the most public blame for the rise in many types of crime and recidivism since.
—New York Daily News Editorial Board, New York Daily News, 1 Feb. 2025
Nearly every time high-profile killings and attacks occur in New York City, the issues of mental health and recidivism dominate public discourse.
—Lola Fadulu, New York Times, 22 Jan. 2025
Yet even though studies have found that prison education programs reduce recidivism by almost 45%, funding for such programs remains woefully inadequate — and some facilities offer no educational opportunities at all.
—Dan Slepian, NBC News, 30 Dec. 2024
See All Example Sentences for recidivism
Cite this Entry
“Recidivism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/recidivism. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.
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recidivism
noun
A. E. Kazdin et al.Legal Definition
recidivism
noun
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