7

California Department of Corrections
And Rehabilitation

2010 Adult Institutions
Outcome Evaluation Report

Office of Research
October 11, 2010

You can obtain reports by contacting the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation at the following address:

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Office of Research, Adult Research Branch
1515 S Street, Suite 208S
Sacramento, California 95811
916.323.2919

Or

On the World Wide Web at:
http://www.cdcr.ca.gov

CDCR Office of Research
"Providing quality research, data analysis and evaluation to implement
evidence-based programs and practices, strengthen policy, inform
management decisions and ensure accountability."

Produced by

Office of Research, Adult Research Branch
Steven F. Chapman, Ph.D., Assistant Secretary
Brenda Grealish, Chief (A)
Kevin Grassel, Research Manager II (A)
Betty Viscuso, Associate Information Systems Analyst
Leo Lam, Management Services Technician

Permission is granted to reproduce reports.
For questions regarding the contents of this report, please contact Brenda Grealish, Chief of Adult Research (A).

STATE Of CALIfORNIA -DEPARTMENT Of CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION

ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER, GOVERNOR

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY
1515 S Street, 95614

P.O. 60.. 942883
Sacramento, CA 94283-0001

Dear Colleagues:
The mission of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is to
protect the public by safely and securely supervising adult and juvenile offenders,
providing effective rehabilitation and treatment, and integrating offenders successfUlly
into the community.
Consistent with this purpose, we are holding ourselves
accountable for data-driven policies informed by the latest research on what works in
corrections and rehabilitation.

As a part of this commitment, I am pleased to present the first in a series of annual
reports on the outcomes of adult inmates released from CDCR correctional institutions.
This report features measures of recidivism that will provide a baseline by which we can

measure improvement, and also will enable us to compare our performance with that of
other states that are similarly situated.
This report is a tangible result of our commitment to transparency and accountability.
My hope is that the data contained in this report will provide new insights to policymakers and correctional stakeholders with regard to the dynamics of recidivism. Our
goal is to provide information that will be usefui in moving the State forward in our
attempt to increase public safety through the reduction of recidivism.
Sincerely,

MATIHEW L. CATE
Secretary

Table of Contents
Definition of Terms...................................................................................................... vii
1

Introduction .............................................................................................................1

2

Evaluation Design ...................................................................................................4
2.1
2.2

3

Objectives and Purpose of the Evaluation ..................................................................... 4
Primary Definition of Recidivism .................................................................................... 4

Methods ...................................................................................................................4
3.1
3.2
3.3

Redesign of the Cohort Methodology............................................................................. 5
Comparison Between the Former vs. Revised Methodologies ...................................... 6
Data Sources .................................................................................................................. 6

4

Release Cohort Description ....................................................................................6

5

Overall California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Adult
Recidivism Rate ..................................................................................................... 11

6

Time to Return ....................................................................................................... 12
6.1

7

Recidivism Rate by Demographics ...................................................................... 13
7.1
7.2
7.3
7.4

8

9

Time to Return for the 73,350 Recidivists .................................................................... 12
Gender ......................................................................................................................... 14
Age at Release ............................................................................................................. 15
Race/Ethnicity .............................................................................................................. 16
County of Parole........................................................................................................... 18

Offender Characteristics ....................................................................................... 19
8.1
8.2
8.3
8.3.1

Commitment Offense Category.................................................................................... 20
Commitment Offense ................................................................................................... 21
Sex Offenders .............................................................................................................. 24
Recommitment Offense for Flagged Sex Offenders ................................................... 25

8.4
8.5
8.6

Serious or Violent Offenders ........................................................................................ 26
Mental Health Status .................................................................................................... 27
Risk of Recidivism ........................................................................................................ 29

CDCR Incarceration Experience ........................................................................... 30
9.1
9.2
9.3

Length-of-Stay (Current Term) ..................................................................................... 31
Number of Returns to CDCR Custody Prior to Release (Current Term Only) ............. 32
Number of CDCR Stays Ever (All Terms Combined) ................................................. 33

10 Recidivism by Institutional Missions ................................................................... 35
11 Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 41
Appendix A One, Two and Three-Year Recidivism Rates for Arrests, Convictions,
and Returns to Prison for Felons Released Between FYs 2002-03 and 2007-08 ............... 42
Appendix B Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Characteristics Felons Released
During FY 2005-06 ..................................................................................................... 45

i

List of Tables and Figures
Tables
Table 1. Former Methodology vs. Revised Methodology ............................................................... 6
Table 2. Cohort Description ............................................................................................................ 9
Table 3. Overall Recidivism Rates: First releases, Re-Releases and Total................................ 12
Table 4. Three-Year Quarterly and Cumulative Rate of Return Post Release ............................ 13
Table 5. Recidivism Rates by Gender .......................................................................................... 15
Table 6. Recidivism Rates by Age Group .................................................................................... 16
Table 7. Recidivism Rates By Race/Ethnicity .............................................................................. 17
Table 8. Recidivism Rates by County........................................................................................... 19
Table 9. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense Category .................................................... 20
Table 10. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense .................................................................. 23
Table 11. Recidivism Rates by Sex Registration Flag ................................................................. 24
Table 12. Flagged Sex Offender Recommitment Offense ........................................................... 25
Table 13. Recidivism Rates by Serious/Violent Offender Flag .................................................... 26
Table 14. Recidivism Rates by Mental Health Status .................................................................. 28
Table 15. Recidivism Rates by CSRA Risk Category .................................................................. 30
Table 16. Recidivism Rates by Length-of-Stay ............................................................................ 32
Table 17. Number of Returns to CDCR Custody on Current Term Prior to Release ................... 33
Table 18. Recidivism Rates by Total Number of Stays Ever ....................................................... 34
Table 19. Recidivism Rates by Institutional Missions................................................................... 36
Table 20. Recidivism Rates by Institutional Missions: Sorted from Highest to Lowest ................ 37
Table 21. Mission and Institution Recidivism Rates by Gender ................................................... 38

Figures
Figure 1. One year recidivism rates for arrests, convictions and returns to prison for felons
released between FYs 2002-03 and 2007-08 ................................................................. 1
Figure 2. Three-year recidivism rates for felons released from all CDCR institutions during
FY 2005-06 ...................................................................................................................... 3
Figure 3. Overall Recidivism Rates: First Releases, Re-Releases and Total ............................. 11
Figure 4. Three-Year Quarterly and Cumulative Rate of Return Post Release ........................... 12
Figure 5. Recidivism Rates by Gender ......................................................................................... 14
Figure 6. Recidivism Rates by Age at Release ............................................................................ 15
Figure 7. Recidivism Rates by Race/Ethnicity.............................................................................. 16
Figure 8. Recidivism Rates by County ......................................................................................... 18
Figure 9. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense Category ................................................... 20
Figure 10. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense................................................................. 21
Figure 11. Recidivism Rates by Sex Registration Flag ................................................................ 24
ii

Figure 12. Flagged Sex Offender Re-Commitment Offense ........................................................ 25
Figure 13. Recidivism Rates by Serious/Violent Offender Flag ................................................... 26
Figure 14. Recidivism Rates by Mental Health Status ................................................................. 27
Figure 15. Recidivism Rates by CSRA Risk Category ................................................................. 29
Figure 16. Recidivism Rates by Length-of-Stay ........................................................................... 31
Figure 17. Number of Returns to CDCR Custody (RTC) on the Current Term Prior to Release . 32
Figure 18. Recidivism Rates by Total Number of Stays Ever ...................................................... 33
Figure 19. Recidivism Rates by Institutional Missions ................................................................. 35
Figure 20. Three-year outcomes for inmates released from all CDCR adult institutions in
FY 2005-06. ................................................................................................................. 41

iii

Executive Summary
understood and commonly used by
most correctional stakeholders.

Introduction
To comport with national best practices,
the California Department of Corrections
and
Rehabilitation
(CDCR)
now
measures recidivism by tracking arrests,
convictions and returns to prison.
Although all three measures are
displayed in charts and tables in
Appendix A, CDCR uses the latter
measure, returns to prison, as the
primary measure of recidivism for the
purpose of this report. We chose this
measure because it is the most reliable
measure available
and
is
well

CDCR has reported recidivism rates for
felons released from custody since
1977.
Prior to this report, CDCR
provided recidivism rates only for felons
paroled for the first time on their current
term during a specified calendar year.
Parolees were only tracked until they
discharged from parole. CDCR is now
expanding the cohort to include direct
discharge, first-release and re-released
felons who are released during a State
Fiscal Year (FY), beginning with
FY 2005-06.

Figure 1. One year recidivism rates for arrests, convictions and returns to prison for
felons released between FYs 2002-03 and 2007-08 1
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%

55.5%
48.0%

56.3%

57.6%

58.8%

58.0%

49.1%

47.4%

45.9%

46.5%

21.6%

22.6%

22.1%

22.0%

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

57.0%
47.5%

40%
30%
20%

19.7%

20.8%

10%
0%
2002-03

Arrests

1

Convictions

2007-08

Returns to Prison

Rates for “Arrests” and “Convictions” only include those felons where an automated criminal history
record was available from the Department of Justice. These records are necessary to measure
recidivism by arrest and conviction. The data contained in this chart were extracted in April, 2010 to
minimize the effects of the time lag in data entry into state systems.

iv

All felons are tracked for the full followup period, regardless of their status as
active or discharged.
In addition,
recidivism rates are presented based on
numerous
characteristics
(e.g.,
commitment offense, length-of-stay).

Figure 2.
Three-year recidivism rates for felons
released from all CDCR institutions
during fiscal year 2005-06

This report is intended to provide more
detailed information about recidivism to
CDCR executives and managers,
lawmakers and other correctional
stakeholders who have an interest in the
dynamics of reoffending behavior and
recidivism reduction.

Successful
3 Years Out
32.5%

Returned
Within 3 Years
67.5%

Recidivism Definition
CDCR now measures recidivism by
arrests, convictions and returns to
prison. CDCR uses the latter measure,
returns to prison, as its primary measure
of recidivism.
Throughout this
document, unless otherwise stated, the
terms recidivate and recidivism refer to
this primary measure. CDCR defines
“returns to prison” as follows:

N=108,662

Most felons who recidivate return
to prison within a year of release
(approximately 75 percent).
Re-released felons recidivate at a
rate 16.8 percentage points
higher than those released for
the first time.

2

An individual convicted of a felony
and incarcerated in a CDCR adult
institution who was released to
parole, discharged after being
paroled, or directly discharged from
CDCR during a defined time period
and subsequently returned to
prison during a specified follow-up
period.

CDCR Inmate Personal Characteristics
Females have a 58.0 percent
recidivism
rate,
which
is
approximately 10 points lower
than that of males.
Younger felons recidivate at the
highest rate. Inmates released
at age 24 or younger return to
prison at a rate of almost 75
percent.
Race/ethnicity
appears
to
influence recidivism rates for
first-releases, but this effect is
not evident for re-released
inmates.
Slightly more than a quarter of all
inmates are paroled to Los
Angeles County after release.
Of these parolees, however, only
59.1 percent recidivated within
three years, which is lower than
the statewide average.

Key Findings
Overall CDCR Recidivism Rates
The one-year rates have declined
slightly under all measures of
recidivism since FY 2005-06
(Figure 1).
The total three-year recidivism rate
(return to prison) for all felons
released during FY 2005-06 is
67.5 percent (Figure 2).

2

Due to reporting limitations, civil addicts are
currently excluded. It is expected that this
limitation will be addressed following
implementation of the Strategic Offender
Management System (SOMS).

v

rates, ranging from 58.3 percent
(10+ returns) to 79.8 percent (2
returns).

CDCR Offender Characteristics
Inmates committed to prison for a
property
crime
consistently
recidivate at a higher rate than
those committed for other types
of crimes including crimes
against persons, drug crimes,
and “other” crimes.
Severity of commitment offense
was not found to be related to
recidivism rates. For example,
inmates released for rape have a
much lower recidivism rate (49.7
percent) than those committed
for vehicle theft (77.0 percent).
Felons flagged as being required
to register as a sex offender
recidivate at a lower rate (64.6
percent) as compared to nonflagged felons (67.7 percent).
Eighty six percent of flagged sex
offenders who recidivate do so
because of a parole violation.
Inmates designated as serious or
violent offenders recidivate at a
lower rate than those who were
not.
Inmates participating in mental
health programs recidivate at
rates 8 to 11 percentage points
higher than other felons.
The
California
Static
Risk
Assessment performs well at
predicting
inmate
risk
for
recidivism.

Although fewer inmates return to
prison as the total number of
stays increase, recidivism rates
for those with more total stays
increase with each additional
stay at CDCR institutions.
CDCR Institutional Missions
Inmates housed in reception
centers for at least 30 days prior
to release have a recidivism rate
that is higher than any other
institutional mission.
Conclusion
This report demonstrates how recidivism
varies among offenders by their
personal characteristics such as gender,
race, age, and mental health status, as
well as by their arrest histories and
behavior while under CDCR custody
and supervision. These findings are
consistent with other jurisdictions across
the United States, and have important
implications for correctional policy and
practice.
Future reports will provide recidivism
numbers for program participants within
institutions, enabling the department to
identify programs that should be
retained or expanded, those which need
improvement, and those which should
be reduced or eliminated. In addition,
other reports will be produced that
provide in-depth analysis of topics
introduced in this report, such as sex
offenders, women or other specific
groups of offenders.

CDCR Offender Length-of-Stay
Recidivism rates increase with
lengths-of-stay up to 19 to
24
months
and decrease
thereafter.
Inmates with a
length-of-stay between 19 to 24
months recidivate at the highest
rate (71.5 percent). Those who
served over 15 years recidivated
at the lowest rate (approximately
38 percent).
Inmates returning to prison from 1
to 10 or more times on the same
term have similar recidivism

All of these efforts demonstrate the
department’s
commitment
to
transparency, and establish California
as a national leader in the effort to hold
ourselves
accountable,
reduce
recidivism and improve public safety.

vi

Definition of Terms
Admission or New Court Commitment
The first commitment on the current term from the court for felons, civil narcotic
addicts, safe keepers, county diagnostic cases, and those received for the first time
from other jurisdictions.
California Static Risk Assessment (CSRA)
The CSRA applies current data from the California Department of Justice (DOJ)
regarding an inmate’s personal information and criminal history to factors that are
most predictive of recidivism so offenders can be categorized as low, moderate, or
high risk of being convicted of a new crime upon release.
Cohort
A specific sub-population based on a grouping according to time, such as all
inmates who were released to parole during a given year.
Controlling Crime or Commitment Offense
The most serious offense on the conviction for which the inmate was sentenced to
prison.
Correctional Clinical Case Management System (CCCMS)
The CCCMS facilitates mental health care by linking inmate/patients to needed
services and providing sustained support while accessing such services. CCCMS
services are provided as outpatient services within the general population setting at
all institutions.
Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP)
A mental health services designation applied to a severely mentally ill inmate
receiving treatment at a level similar to day treatment services.
First Release
The first release on the current term for felons with new admissions and parole
violators returning with a new term (PV-WNT).
Institutional Mission
Institutions are designated with a mission that meets the security level or special
purpose required for the inmates being housed. Reception centers process
incoming inmates. Levels I, II, III, and IV house male general population inmates
according to their security classification (low, medium, high-medium, and
maximum). Female institutions provide female offenders with gender-responsive
supervision, treatment, and services. Camps and “other” facilities house low-level
inmates while providing rehabilitative treatment through work, vocation, academic
and substance abuse programs. Institutions may have one or more missions
according to the security needs and/or special purposes.

vii

Manual California Static Risk Assessment (CSRA)
Inmates who do not have automated criminal history data available from the DOJ
must have their CSRA score calculated manually. This is done with a review of a
paper copy of the inmate’s rap sheet. Manual scores are not available for a certain
percentage of inmates because CSRA scores for the FY 2005-06 cohort were
computed retroactively as of their date of release during that time period.
Parole
A period of conditional supervised release following a prison term.
Parole Violation (Law)
A law violation occurs when a parolee commits a crime while on parole and returns
to CDCR custody (RTC) by action of the Board of Parole Hearings rather than by
prosecution in the courts.
Parole Violation (Technical)
A technical violation occurs when a parolee violates a condition of his/her parole
that is not considered a new crime and returns to CDCR custody (RTC).
Parole Violator Returning With a New Term (PV-WNT)
A parolee who receives a court sentence for a new crime committed while under
parole supervision and returned to prison.
Registered Sex Offender
An inmate is designated as a registered sex offender if CDCR records show that
the inmate has at some point been convicted of an offense that requires
registration as a sex offender under Penal Code (PC) Section 290. This
designation is permanent in CDCR records.
Re-Release
After a return to prison for a parole violation, any subsequent release on the same
(current) term is a re-release.
Serious Felony Offenses
As specified in PC Section 1192.7(c) and PC Section 1192.8.
Stay
A stay is any period of time an inmate is housed in a CDCR institution. Each time
an inmate returns to prison it is considered a new stay, regardless of the reason for
returning.
Term
A term is a sentence an inmate receives from a court to be committed to CDCR for
a length-of-time. If an inmate is released after serving a term and is later returned
to prison for a parole violation, the inmate returns and continues serving the
original (current) term. If that inmate returns for committing a new crime, the
inmate begins serving a new term.
Violent Felony Offenses
Pursuant to PC Section 667.5(c).

viii

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

2010 Adult Institutions
Outcome Evaluation Report
The
California
Department
of
Corrections
and
Rehabilitation (CDCR) 2010 Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation
Report is an analysis of recidivism for felons released from
California prisons.
This report provides information about
recidivism to CDCR executives and managers, lawmakers and
other correctional stakeholders who have an interest in the
dynamics of reoffending behavior and reducing recidivism.

1 Introduction
One of the foremost goals of lawmakers and public safety officials
is to prevent offenders, after their release from incarceration, from
victimizing again.
Indeed, the California Department of
Figure 1. One year recidivism rates for arrests, convictions and
returns to prison for felons released between
Fiscal Years (FY) 2002-03 and 2007-08 3
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%

55.5%

50%

48.0%

56.3%

57.6%

58.8%

58.0%

49.1%

47.4%

45.9%

46.5%

21.6%

22.6%

22.1%

22.0%

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

57.0%
47.5%

40%
30%
19.7%

20%

20.8%

10%
0%
2002-03

Arrests

3

Convictions

2007-08

Returns to Prison

Rates for “Arrests” and “Convictions” only include those felons where an
automated criminal history record was available from the Department of Justice.
These records are necessary to measure recidivism by arrest and conviction.

The one-year rates
have slightly
decreased,
regardless of
measure used,
since FY 2005-06.

1

2

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Corrections and Rehabilitation sets as its chief priority the
reduction of recidivism. But before progress in the reduction of
recidivism can be tracked and analyzed, recidivism itself must be
defined.

Based on national
best practices,
CDCR now reports
recidivism rates
that track arrests,
convictions and
returns to prison.
CDCR uses returns
to prison as its
primary measure.

There is in fact no single definition of recidivism agreed upon by
all states, law enforcement agencies or researchers. Some
choose to define recidivism as an offender’s subsequent arrest
following incarceration. Others define recidivism as an offender’s
subsequent conviction. Depending on which measure is chosen,
recidivism rates may vary greatly. Rates will also vary depending
on the length of time offenders are tracked upon release from
incarceration. Offenders who are tracked for three years upon
release from prison, for example, will show higher rates of
recidivism than they would have shown if only tracked for their first
year after release. In addition, the extent to which jurisdictions
choose to supervise offenders impacts the rate of recidivism.
These variables challenge law enforcement agencies in their
efforts to track recidivism over time and compare recidivism rates
between jurisdictions.
The department is pleased to present this report as the successful
culmination of its efforts to minimize these obstacles. The
variability in the scope and nature of parole practices among the
states still makes direct comparisons problematic. However, after
consultation with national experts and researchers, the
department for the first time is able to facilitate such comparisons
across jurisdictions nationwide by setting forth recidivism
measures that track arrests, convictions as well as returns to
prison at one, two and three-year intervals dating back to
offenders released in FY 2002-03. Appendix A sets forth those
measures. These analyses provide California the flexibility to
present its recidivism rates in different ways for comparison
purposes and to establish a baseline measure to benchmark
progress at reducing recidivism and improving public safety in
California. The department can now more easily track and
compare future trends in recidivism.
Henceforth, the department will issue yearly outcome reports on
recidivism like this one. Each subsequent report will provide an
additional year’s worth of recidivism data that will supplement the
data previously set forth, and will thereby provide a progressively
fuller picture of trends in recidivism.
For in-depth analysis, the focus of this report is on the three-year
rates of returns to prison for inmates released during FY 2005-06.
While CDCR will be measuring recidivism by tracking arrests,
convictions and returns to prison, it is the latter measure that
CDCR will use as its primary measure due to its reliability and
common usage by correctional stakeholders. Accordingly, the
department has re-examined its definition of “returns to prison” to
bring it in line with best practices nationwide. This return measure

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

has been improved in that it includes offenders released for the
first time on a new term and those offenders who were released
and subsequently returned on a violation of parole or a new arrest.
In contrast to prior practices, all offenders are tracked for a full
three-year follow-up period even if they were discharged from
parole. In addition, releases are based on the fiscal year, making
it easier to relate costs to performance, thereby increasing
accountability.
Data related to the primary measure are displayed by mission and
institution. Future reports will provide recidivism numbers for
program participants within institutions, enabling the department to
better identify programs that should be retained or expanded,
those which need improvement, and those which should be
reduced or eliminated. In addition, other reports will be produced
that provide in-depth analysis of topics introduced in this report,
such as sex offenders, women or other specific groups of
offenders.
All of these efforts demonstrate the department’s commitment to
accountability, and establish California as a national leader in the
effort to be transparent, reduce recidivism and improve public
safety.

Figure 2. Three-year recidivism rates for felons released from all
CDCR institutions during FY 2005-06

Successful
3 Years Out
32.5%

Returned
Within 3 Years
67.5%

N=108,662

Two-thirds of all
CDCR felons
released during
FY 2005-06
returned to prison
within three years.

3

4

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

2 Evaluation Design
2.1 Objectives and Purpose of the Evaluation
The purpose of this evaluation is to report the recidivism rates for
CDCR inmates and to examine how these rates vary across time
and place, by person (personal and offender characteristics), by
incarceration experience (e.g., length-of-stay), and by CDCR
missions and institutions.

In this report, a
recidivist is
primarily defined as
a convicted felon
who was released
from CDCR in
FY 2005-06 and
subsequently
returned to CDCR
within a three-year
follow-up period.

2.2 Primary Definition of Recidivism
Although there are numerous ways to define recidivism (e.g.,
arrests, convictions, returns to prison), CDCR employs returns to
prison as its primary indicator of a recidivist, defined as follows:
An individual convicted of a felony 4 and incarcerated
in a CDCR adult institution who was released to
parole, discharged after being paroled, or directly
discharged from CDCR during a defined time period
(recidivism cohort) and subsequently returned to
prison during a specified follow-up period (recidivism
period).
For the purpose of this and future reports, the recidivism rate is
calculated using the ratio of the number of felons in the recidivism
cohort who were returned to prison during the recidivism period to
the total number of felons in the recidivism cohort, multiplied by
100.
Recidivism Rate

=

Number Returned to Prison
Recidivism Cohort

X

100

Note: Appendix A expands this definition by depicting recidivism
rates using rearrest and reconviction in addition to returns
to prison. Results for each of these measures are available
for FY 2002-03 through 2007-08.

3 Methods
This report presents recidivism rates from a three-year follow-up
period for all felons who were released from the CDCR Division of
Adult Institutions (DAI) between July 1, 2005 and June 30, 2006
(FY 2005-06). The cohort includes inmates who were released to

4

Due to reporting limitations, civil addicts are currently excluded. It is
expected that this limitation will be addressed following implementation
of the Strategic Offender Management System (SOMS).

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

parole for the first time on their current term and inmates who
were directly discharged, as well as inmates who were released to
parole on their current term prior to FY 2005-06, returned to prison
on
this
term,
and
were
then
re-released
during
FY 2005-06. Figures, charts and graphs illustrate the relationship
between descriptive variables (e.g., gender, race/ethnicity,
age at parole) and recidivism rates. Expanded analyses of these
variables are available in Appendix B.

3.1 Redesign of the Cohort Methodology
In 2009, the CDCR Office of Research collaborated with CDCR
executive staff and managers to redesign the methodology used
to identify the CDCR recidivism cohort due to the following
limitations of the former methodology:
• The prior cohorts consisted of felons released to parole for the
first time on a new term. This method failed to include parole
violators who were returned and re-released from parole.
• Inmates who were directly discharged, as well as parolees
who were discharged from parole before the full three-year
follow-up period, were excluded 5 from the recidivism cohort.
This method failed to count returns of parolees who were
discharged and returned to prison within the three-year followup period, resulting in lower recidivism rates.
• The prior cohorts consisted of felons released to parole in one
calendar year. This method made it difficult to perform costeffectiveness computations.
To address these issues, CDCR revised the recidivism cohort
methodology to include all felons who were paroled from the
CDCR DAI, regardless of whether it is the first release on the
current term, or a subsequent release following a return on a
parole violation. In addition, parolees are now followed for the full
three-year follow-up period, even if they are discharged from
parole or were directly discharged from a CDCR institution. Only
the first release and first return prison during the three-year period
is counted (i.e., inmates who cycle in and out of CDCR during the
three-year period are only counted once). Finally, the recidivism
cohort aligns with the State FY. With the exception of Table 1, all
results presented in this report solely reflect the revised
methodology.

5

Inmates were excluded as a result of being assigned a new CDCR
number upon readmission to CDCR for a new felony.

CDCR has
revised the
methodology used
to define the
recidivism cohort
for returns to
prison.

5

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

There are minimal
differences
between the
number and
recidivism rate of
“first release”
inmates when
comparing the
former and revised
methodologies.

3.2 Comparison Between the Former vs. Revised
Methodologies
Comparisons between the cohort methodologies reveal minimal
differences in the number and recidivism rate of first releases,
despite the fact that the former methodology is based on a
calendar year and the revised methodology is based on a State
FY (see Table 1). There was only a two percent difference in the
number of first releases identified and both methodologies result
in an approximate 40, 54, and 60 percent recidivism rate for years
one, two and three, respectively.
Table 1. Former Methodology vs. Revised Methodology
Total
Released

One Year

Two Years, Cumulative Three Years, Cumulative

Number
Returned

Recidivism
Rate

Number
Returned

Recidivism
Rate

Number
Returned

Recidivism
Rate

Former
First Releases
Methodology Only

66,061

26,376

39.9%

35,821

54.2%

38,972

59.0%

Revised

64,728

26,143

40.4%

35,491

54.8%

39,281

60.7%

43,934

27,187

61.9%

32,467

73.9%

34,069

77.5%

108,662

53,330

49.1%

67,958

62.5%

73,350

67.5%

First Releases

Methodology Re-Releases

Total

3.3 Data Sources
Data were extracted from the CDCR Offender-Based Information
System (OBIS) to identify the inmates who were released during
FY 2005-06, as well as to determine which of these individuals
were returned to prison during the three-year follow-up period.
Data were also derived from Department of Justice (DOJ) arrest
history data to compute California Static Risk Assessment (CSRA)
recidivism risk scores at the time of release, and to compute the
rearrest and reconviction figures included in Appendix A.

4 Release Cohort Description
Personal Characteristics
A total of 108,662 adult men and women were released from
CDCR adult institutions in FY 2005-06 (Table 2, page 9). 6 Males
outnumbered females approximately nine to one. The majority of
inmates were Hispanic/Latino (36.7 percent), followed by White
(32.8 percent) and Black/African American (26.3 percent). Less

6

Due to reporting limitations, civil addicts are currently excluded. It is
expected that this limitation will be addressed following implementation
of SOMS.

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

than 5 percent were Native American/Alaska Native, Asian, Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander or Other. There was a nearly even
distribution of inmates between the age of 20 and 44 at release;
few inmates were between the age of 18 and 19 (0.6 percent).
After 45 to 49 years of age, the number of inmates declined;
individuals over age 60 represented roughly 1 percent of the
cohort.
Offender Characteristics
The majority of the inmates paroled to Los Angeles County
(26.1 percent). Of the remaining large counties in California, the
top three that received paroled inmates were San Bernardino
(8.2 percent), Orange (7.4 percent), San Diego (6.6 percent), and
the bottom three were Santa Clara (3.2 percent), San Joaquin
(2.3 percent), and San Francisco (1.5 percent).
About two-thirds of the FY 2005-06 recidivism cohort include
inmates who had served their current term for a property crime or
a drug crime. Slightly more than 20 percent were committed to
CDCR for a crime against persons and approximately 11 percent
were committed for “other” crimes.
Six and a half percent of the release cohort were required to
register as a sex offender. In addition, roughly 20 percent of the
release cohort were committed for a crime that was considered to
be serious and/or violent. These percentages remain consistent
for both first released and re-released sex offenders and
serious/violent offenders.
Eighty-six percent of the release cohort had not been
enrolled
in
any
type
of
mental
health
treatment
program while incarcerated at CDCR. Those designated as
Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP) (severely mentally ill) made
up 4.5 percent of the release cohort and those assigned to the
Correctional Clinical Case Management System (CCCMS) made
the remaining 9.3 percent.
When assessed for recidivism risk using the CSRA, almost
53 percent of the inmates were identified as being at a high risk
for being convicted of a new crime, 28.5 percent were medium risk
and 16.3 percent were low risk.
Nearly sixty percent of the release cohort was made up of first
releases while 40.4 percent were re-releases. Almost all of the
distributions for the personal and offender characteristics of first
release and re-releases were similar to those of the total
recidivism cohort. The exception was for the CSRA risk score.
The proportion of re-releases identified as having a high risk to
recidivate was greater (62.0 percent) than that of inmates who
were first releases (46.4 percent).

Re-released
felons made up
40.4 percent of
the recidivism
cohort.

7

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

CDCR Incarceration Experience
More than half (57.0 percent) of the FY 2005-06 cohort inmates
served 18 months or less in CDCR institutions. Approximately
69 percent who were released for the first time served 18 months
or less in CDCR institutions compared to 39.3 percent of rereleases who served 18 months or less.

Almost 30 percent
of the recidivism
cohort had never
been previously
incarcerated at
CDCR.

The majority of the cohort (59.6 percent) is comprised of first
releases with no returns on their current term. Of those with
returns on their current term, most (18.5 percent) had returned
once. Thereafter, the number of returning inmates gradually
decreases.
Almost half (48.3 percent) of the first releases had only one stay in
a CDCR adult institution and approximately one-fifth
(20.4 percent) of re-releases stayed two times. Regardless of
type of release, 13.0 percent of the FY 2005-06 cohort had 10 or
more stays in CDCR when released.
Institutional Mission 7
Twenty-three percent of the FY 2005-06 cohort released from a
Level II institution. Another 26 percent released from a reception
center. Combined, this accounts for almost half of all releases
during FY 2005-06. Among first releases only, slightly more than
20 percent released from a Level III or Level IV institution. Over
half of re-releases were released from a reception center.

7

Since inmates are often transferred just prior to release to institutions
close to their release county, the last institution where an inmate spent
at least 30 days prior to being released in FY 2005-06 is the inmate’s
institution of release. The “Under 30 Days” category reflects those
inmates who were not incarcerated in any one institution for at least
30 days prior to release.

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 2. Cohort Description
First Releases
Characteristics

Re-Releases

Total

N

%

N

%

N

%

Total

64,728

100.0

43,934

100.0

108,662

100.0

Sex
Male
Female

57,314
7,414

88.5
11.5

39,945
3,989

90.9
9.1

97,259
11,403

89.5
10.5

Race/Ethnicity
White
Hispanic/Latino
Black/African American
Native American/Alaska Native
Asian
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Other

20,047
26,268
15,519
477
512
89
1,816

31.0
40.6
24.0
0.7
0.8
0.1
2.8

15,562
13,633
13,066
258
515
46
854

35.4
31.0
29.7
0.6
1.2
0.1
1.9

35,609
39,901
28,585
735
1,027
135
2,670

32.8
36.7
26.3
0.7
0.9
0.1
2.5

Age at Release
18-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60 and over

640
10,977
12,696
10,306
10,099
8,820
6,121
3,072
1,270
727

1.0
17.0
19.6
15.9
15.6
13.6
9.5
4.7
2.0
1.1

44
4,567
8,342
6,973
7,696
7,388
5,083
2,501
909
431

0.1
10.4
19.0
15.9
17.5
16.8
11.6
5.7
2.1
1.0

684
15,544
21,038
17,279
17,795
16,208
11,204
5,573
2,179
1,158

0.6
14.3
19.4
15.9
16.4
14.9
10.3
5.1
2.0
1.1

County of Parole
Alameda
Fresno
Kern
Los Angeles
Orange
Riverside
Sacramento
San Bernardino
Santa Clara
San Diego
San Francisco
San Joaquin
All Others

2,685
1,931
2,065
21,086
5,574
4,144
3,318
5,245
1,815
3,944
536
1,175
11,173

4.1
3.0
3.2
32.6
8.6
6.4
5.1
8.1
2.8
6.1
0.8
1.8
17.3

2,359
2,388
1,765
7,233
2,462
2,496
2,308
3,683
1,706
3,186
1,099
1,351
10,442

5.4
5.4
4.0
16.5
5.6
5.7
5.3
8.4
3.9
7.3
2.5
3.1
23.8

5,044
4,319
3,830
28,319
8,036
6,640
5,626
8,928
3,521
7,130
1,635
2,526
21,615

4.6
4.0
3.5
26.1
7.4
6.1
5.2
8.2
3.2
6.6
1.5
2.3
19.9

Commitment Offense
Crime Against Persons
Property Crimes
Drug Crimes
Other Crimes

14,098
22,145
21,067
7,418

21.8
34.2
32.5
11.5

10,822
14,608
13,722
4,782

24.6
33.2
31.2
10.9

24,920
36,753
34,789
12,200

22.9
33.8
32.0
11.2

Sex Offenders
Yes
No

3,959
60,769

6.1
93.9

3,052
40,882

6.9
93.1

7,011
101,651

6.5
93.5

Serious/Violent Offenders
Yes
No

13,113
51,615

20.3
79.7

9,222
34,712

21.0
79.0

22,335
86,327

20.6
79.4

9

10

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010
Table 2. Cohort Description (continued)
First Releases
Characteristics
Mental Health
Enhanced Outpatient Program
Correctional Clinical Case
Management System
Crisis Bed
No Mental Health Code
Department Mental Health

N

%

Re-Releases
N

%

Total
N

%

2,128

3.3

2,765

6.3

4,893

4.5

4,764

7.4

5,353

12.2

10,117

9.3

5
57,825
6

0.0
89.3
0.0

31
35,784
1

0.1
81.4
0.0

36
93,609
7

0.0
86.1
0.0

CSRA Risk Score
Low
Medium
High
N/A

12,911
20,339
30,047
1,431

19.9
31.4
46.4
2.2

4,822
10,655
27,223
1,234

11.0
24.3
62.0
2.8

17,733
30,994
57,270
2,665

16.3
28.5
52.7
2.5

Length of Stay
0 - 6 months
7 - 12 months
13 - 18 months
19 - 24 months
2 - 3 years
3 - 4 years
4 - 5 years
5 - 10 years
10 - 15 years
15 + years

9,694
24,617
10,314
6,339
5,765
2,436
1,814
3,170
467
112

15.0
38.0
15.9
9.8
8.9
3.8
2.8
4.9
0.7
0.2

1,915
6,857
8,491
7,291
9,361
4,508
2,045
3,067
347
52

4.4
15.6
19.3
16.6
21.3
10.3
4.7
7.0
0.8
0.1

11,609
31,474
18,805
13,630
15,126
6,944
3,859
6,237
814
164

10.7
29.0
17.3
12.5
13.9
6.4
3.6
5.7
0.7
0.2

Prior Returns to Custody
None
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10+

64,728
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0

100.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0
0.0

0
20,079
9,881
5,804
3,665
2,134
1,183
610
313
150
115

0.0
45.7
22.5
13.2
8.3
4.9
2.7
1.4
0.7
0.3
0.3

64,728
20,079
9,881
5,804
3,665
2,134
1,183
610
313
150
115

59.6
18.5
9.1
5.3
3.4
2.0
1.1
0.6
0.3
0.1
0.1

Number of CDCR Stays Ever
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15 +

31,257
8,012
5,132
3,822
3,195
2,676
2,197
1,726
1,516
1,169
895
731
540
463
1,397

48.3
12.4
7.9
5.9
4.9
4.1
3.4
2.7
2.3
1.8
1.4
1.1
0.8
0.7
2.2

0
8,962
6,678
4,983
3,988
3,340
2,820
2,316
1,921
1,637
1,388
1,189
980
787
2,945

0.0
20.4
15.2
11.3
9.1
7.6
6.4
5.3
4.4
3.7
3.2
2.7
2.2
1.8
6.7

31,257
16,974
11,810
8,805
7,183
6,016
5,017
4,042
3,437
2,806
2,283
1,920
1,520
1,250
4,342

28.8
15.6
10.9
8.1
6.6
5.5
4.6
3.7
3.2
2.6
2.1
1.8
1.4
1.2
4.0

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 2. Cohort Description (continued)
First Releases
Characteristics

N

Institutional Mission
Level I
Level II
Level III
Level IV
Female Institutions
Camps
Reception Centers
Other Facilities
Under 30 days

%

11,960
17,483
7,674
5,786
5,504
2,699
4,944
7,959
719

18.5
27.0
11.9
8.9
8.5
4.2
7.6
12.3
1.1

Re-Releases
N

Total

%

4,883
7,358
2,380
1,520
2,907
3
23,316
1,564
3

N

11.1
16.7
5.4
3.5
6.6
0.0
53.1
3.6
0.0

16,843
24,841
10,054
7,306
8,411
2,702
28,260
9,523
722

5 Overall California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation Adult
Recidivism Rate
Figure 3. Overall Recidivism Rates: First Releases,
Re-Releases and Total

%

15.5
22.9
9.3
6.7
7.7
2.5
26.0
8.8
0.7

Inmates released
from CDCR in
FY 2005-06
have a
67.5 percent
three-year
recidivism rate.

100%
90%
77.5%

80%
73.9%

70%
60%

60.7%

54.8%
49.1%

50%
40%

67.5%

62.5%

61.9%

40.4%

30%
20%
10%
0%
One Year

Two Years
First Releases

Re-Releases

Three Years
Total

Figure and Table 3 show the total three-year recidivism rate for
the FY 2005-06 cohort is 67.5 percent. The recidivism rate for rereleases is 16.8 percentage points higher than for first releases.

The recidivism
rate for firstreleases is
16.8 percentage
points less than
that of rereleases.

11

12

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

When examining the recidivism rates as time progresses, more
inmates return to prison between the first and second years after
release than between the second and third year after release.
Table 3. Overall Recidivism Rates: First releases, Re-Releases and Total
Two Years, Cumulative Three Years, Cumulative

One Year

Total
Released

Number
Returned

Recidivism
Rate

Number
Returned

Recidivism
Rate

Number
Returned

Recidivism
Rate

First Releases

64,728

26,143

40.4%

35,491

54.8%

39,281

60.7%

Re-Releases

43,934

27,187

61.9%

32,467

73.9%

34,069

77.5%

108,662

53,330

49.1%

67,958

62.5%

73,350

67.5%

Total

6 Time to Return

Almost 50 percent
of inmates who
recidivate within
three years do so
within the first
six months.

This “Time to Return” section only examines the 73,350 inmates
who returned to prison within three years of release (identified
previously in Figure and Table 3) to assess how long inmates are
in the community before recidivating and returning to prison.

6.1 Time to Return for the 73,350 Recidivists
Figure 4. Three-Year Quarterly and Cumulative Rate of Return Post
Release
100%

n = 73,350 Recidivists

89.5%

90%

92.6%

95.0%

97.1%

98.7%

100%

85.6%
80.4%

80%
72.7%

70%

At one year, this
rate increases to
almost 75 percent.

61.3%

60%
50%

45.1%

40%
30%
22.7%

20%

22.4%
16.2%

10%

11.5%

7.7%

5.2%

3.9%

0%
1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

3.1%

8th

2.4%

9th

2.0%

10th

Quarters (Three-Month Periods) After Release
Percent Recidivating Each Quarter

Cumulative Percent Recidivating

1.6%

11th

1.3%

12th

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Figure and Table 4 illustrate the percentage of inmates who
recidivate during each quarterly (three-month) period, as well as
the total percent of inmates who had recidivated through the end
of the quarter.
Of the 73,350 inmates who return to prison, nearly equal
percentages return during the first quarter and the second quarter
(22.7 and 22.4 percent, respectively). Altogether, nearly half
(approximately 45 percent) of the inmates released returned to
prison after having been in the community for only six months.
Almost 75 percent of the recidivists returned to prison within 12
months of release.
The number of inmates recidivating within each of the categorized
months over the three-year follow-up period decreases as most
have already returned to prison by the end of the first year. Since
this analysis only focuses on those inmates identified as
recidivists, and because few individuals returned to prison within
the final months of the follow-up period, the 12th quarter
represents the final, cumulative results (i.e., 100 percent) of the
73,350 recidivists.
Table 4. Three-Year Quarterly and Cumulative Rate of Return Post
Release
1st

2nd

3rd

4th

5th

6th

7th

8th

9th

10th

Percentage of Recidivists

22.7%

22.4%

16.2%

11.5%

7.7%

5.2%

3.9%

3.1%

2.4%

2.0%

Cumulative Percent

22.7%

45.1%

61.3%

72.7%

80.4%

85.6%

89.5%

92.6%

95.0%

97.1%

7 Recidivism Rate by Demographics
Demographics include the following personal characteristics of
felons: gender, age at release, race/ethnicity, and county of
parole. Research has shown that recidivism varies by some of
these demographic factors, and these findings are corroborated
by the data provided below.

11th

1.6%

12th

1.3%

98.7% 100.0%

13

14

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

7.1 Gender
Figure 5. Recidivism Rates by Gender

Females
recidivate at a
lower rate than
males.

100%
90%
80%
68.6%

70%

63.7%

58.0%

60%
50%
40%

67.5%

62.5%

50.3%

52.3%

49.1%
38.7%

30%
20%
10%
0%
One Year

Two Years
Male

Female

Three Years
Total

Because males outnumber females almost nine to one in the
FY 2005-06 cohort, gender differences in rates of recidivism are
masked. It is important, therefore, to examine male and female
recidivism rates individually to see if differences exist. As shown
in Figure and Table 5, recidivism rates are considerably lower for
females compared to males. By the end of three years, the
recidivism rate for females is approximately 10 percentage points
lower than that of males.
Males and females who were released for the first time recidivate
at lower rates than those who were re-released, with female first
releases and re-releases recidivating at lower rates than males.
There is a 16 percentage point difference in the recidivism rate
between first-released and re-released males. Females have a
23 percentage point difference in the recidivism rate between first
and re-releases. Females who were re-released recidivate at a
rate only five percentage points lower than their male
counterparts.
Despite the fact that female offenders represent a small proportion
of the CDCR inmate population and they have a lower recidivism
rate than males, CDCR continues to emphasize the importance of
increasing rehabilitative opportunities for female inmates through
a commitment to the provision of gender-responsive programs.

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 5. Recidivism Rates by Gender
First Releases
Number
Released
57,314
7,414
64,728

Gender
Male
Female
Total

Number
Returned
35,564
3,717
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
62.1%
50.1%
60.7%

Number
Released
39,945
3,989
43,934

Number
Returned
31,167
2,902
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
78.0%
72.8%
77.5%

Number
Released
97,259
11,403
108,662

Number
Returned
66,731
6,619
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
68.6%
58.0%
67.5%

7.2 Age at Release
Figure 6. Recidivism Rates by Age at Release

In general,
recidivism rates
decrease
with age.

100%
90%
80%

74.3%

73.9%
68.7%

70%

65.9%

68.5%

67.4%

65.1%
60.4%

60%

55.1%

50%

46.3%

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
18-19

20-24

25-29

30-34

35-39

40-44

45-49

50-54

55-59

60 +

Age Groups

Conforming to the general theory that people age out of criminal
activity 8, the overall recidivism rate for inmates released in
FY 2005-06 declines with age. Felons in the 18 to 19 year-old group
have a 74.3 percent recidivism rate and those ages 60 and older have
a 46.3 percent recidivism rate (Figure and Table 6). The exception is
a 2.6 percentage point increase from the 30 to 34 year-old age group
to the 35 to 39 year-old age group. Thereafter, the declining trend in
the recidivism rate resumes. The recidivism rate increase for the 35
to 39 year-old age group suggests that inmates ages 35 and older
may somehow be different (perhaps more persistent in their criminal
behaviors) than younger inmates.

8

Andrews, D.A. and J. Bonta (2006). The Psychology of Criminal
th
Conduct, 4 ed. Neward, NJ: LexisNexis.

15

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

The pattern in the recidivism rate for each age group within first
releases mirrors that of the total recidivism rate (i.e., the gradual
decline over time with the exception of the increased recidivism
rate for the 35 to 39 age group). This trend is not evident for the
re-releases. From age 18 through 34, the recidivism rate for rereleases fluctuates (from as low as 77.4 percent to as high as
84.4 percent) and does not revert back to the previously identified,
gradual decline until ages 35 to 39.
Table 6. Recidivism Rates by Age Group
First Releases
Age
Groups
18-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60 +
Total

Number
Released
640
10,977
12,696
10,306
10,099
8,820
6,121
3,072
1,270
727
64,728

Number
Returned
473
7,633
7,931
5,984
6,125
5,253
3,451
1,581
583
267
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
73.9%
69.5%
62.5%
58.1%
60.6%
59.6%
56.4%
51.5%
45.9%
36.7%
60.7%

Number
Released
44
4,567
8,342
6,973
7,696
7,388
5,083
2,501
909
431
43,934

Number
Returned
35
3,855
6,532
5,398
6,057
5,673
3,847
1,785
618
269
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
79.5%
84.4%
78.3%
77.4%
78.7%
76.8%
75.7%
71.4%
68.0%
62.4%
77.5%

Number
Released
684
15,544
21,038
17,279
17,795
16,208
11,204
5,573
2,179
1,158
108,662

Number
Returned
508
11,488
14,463
11,382
12,182
10,926
7,298
3,366
1,201
536
73,350

7.3 Race/Ethnicity
Figure 7. Recidivism Rates by Race/Ethnicity
100%

Total three-year
recidivism rates
are highest
among White,
Black/AfricanAmerican, and
Native American/
Alaska Native
race/ethnicity
groups.

90%
80%
70%

74.6%

73.7%
69.6%
61.7%

59.7%

60%

58.5%

58.8%

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
White

Hispanic/
Latino

Black/
African-American

Asian

Native American/ Native Hawaiian/
Alaska Native
Pacific Islander

Others

Recidivism
Rate
74.3%
73.9%
68.7%
65.9%
68.5%
67.4%
65.1%
60.4%
55.1%
46.3%
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Figure and Table 7 show the three-year recidivism rates for all
releases are highest among White, Black/African-American, and
Native American/Alaska Native race/ethnicity groups, ranging from
69.6 percent to 74.6 percent. The overall recidivism rate for all
other race/ethnicity groups is roughly 60 percent.
Additional differences are revealed when recidivism rates for each
race/ethnicity are examined between inmates who were first
released and those who were re-released. With respect to rereleases, recidivism rates are similar between the different
race/ethnic groups (ranging from 71.7 percent to 78.8 percent).
However, the rates vary for first releases. Recidivism rates for first
releases who are Hispanic/Latino (54.3 percent), Native
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (51.7 percent) or Asian (51.4 percent)
are lower than those who are White (62.9 percent), Black/AfricanAmerican (69.7 percent), or Native American/Alaska Native
(70.3 percent).
Although small in number, the Native American/Alaska Native,
Asian and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander first and re-release
groups recidivate at rates similar to the remaining cohort
race/ethnicity groups, with the Native American/Alaska Native
group having the highest recidivism rate across each release type
(first releases, re-releases and total released). Moreover, the
recidivism rate for first releases who are Hispanic/Latino (the
largest group represented in the cohort) is over 10 percentage
points lower than that of all other race/ethncity groups combined
(54.3 percent versus 65.1 percent).

Recidivism rates
for race/ethnicity
vary by
first releases and
re-releases.

Overall,
race/ethnicity
appears be
related to
recidivism rates
for first releases,
but not for
re-releases.

Overall, this analysis indicates that race/ethnicity exerts an
influence on recidivism for inmates who are first released from
incarceration, but those effects dissipate for inmates who
previously failed while on parole.

Table 7. Recidivism Rates By Race/Ethnicity
First Releases
Race/Ethnicity
White
Hispanic/Latino
Black/African-American
Asian
Native American/Alaska Native
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Others
Total

Number
Released
20,047
26,268
15,519
477
512
89
1,816
64,728

Number
Returned
12,617
14,252
10,819
245
360
46
942
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
62.9%
54.3%
69.7%
51.4%
70.3%
51.7%
51.9%
60.7%

Number
Released
15,562
13,633
13,066
258
515
46
854
43,934

Number
Returned
12,176
10,382
10,250
194
406
33
628
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
78.2%
76.2%
78.4%
75.2%
78.8%
71.7%
73.5%
77.5%

Number
Released
35,609
39,901
28,585
735
1,027
135
2,670
108,662

Number
Returned
24,793
24,634
21,069
439
766
79
1,570
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
69.6%
61.7%
73.7%
59.7%
74.6%
58.5%
58.8%
67.5%

17

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

7.4 County of Parole 9
Figure 8. Recidivism Rates by County
Los Angeles

59.1%

Orange

59.5%

Sacramento

62.6%

Alameda

Statewide Recidivism Rate
67.5%

64.8%

Santa Clara

70.4%

Kern

Recidivism rates
may vary by
county due to a
number of factors:
local jail
overcrowding,
cost avoidance,
prosecutorial
discretion,
community
characteristics
and variability in
law enforcement
and Board of
Parole Hearings
practices.

71.7%

Riverside

73.1%

All Others

73.1%

San Bernardino

74.4%

San Diego

74.5%

San Francisco

78.3%

Fresno

78.8%

San Joaquin

79.1%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Despite the fact that over a quarter of all inmates who were
paroled in FY 2005-06 were released into Los Angeles County,
the Los Angeles County recidivism rate (59.1 percent) is the
lowest of the twelve largest counties (see Figure and Table 8).
San Francisco, Fresno, and San Joaquin Counties have the
highest overall three-year recidivism rates, ranging from
78.3 percent to 79.1 percent. The higher recidivism rates for
these three counties may be due to the fact that they are the only
three counties that received more re-released inmates than those
who were first released. As shown throughout the report, rereleased inmates generally have higher recidivism rates than
those released for the first time. This may also explain Los
Angeles County’s low recidivism rate as it received roughly three
times as many first-released as re-released inmates. This large
proportion of first-released inmates (and their low rate of
recidivism) reduced the overall recidivism rate for inmates
released to Los Angeles County.

9

Direct discharges are not included since these individuals do not have
a parole county.

90%

100%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

The difference in the recidivism rate between first-release inmates
and re-release inmates varies greatly by county. Sacramento
County has the widest range (28 percentage points), with firstrelease inmates recidivating at a rate of 51.1 percent and rereleases recidivating at a rate of 79.2 percent. San Joaquin
County has the narrowest range (7 percentage points), with firstrelease inmates recidivating at a rate of 75.1 percent and rereleases recidivating at a rate of 82.5 percent.
Note: These results represent the county to which the inmates
were paroled; however, inmates may not have remained in the
county to which they were paroled. In addition, inmates may
recidivate in a county other than that of his/her parole. In such
cases, the recidivism is counted in the parole county.
Table 8. Recidivism Rates by County 10
First Releases
County of
Commitment
Alameda
Fresno
Kern
Los Angeles
Orange
Riverside
Sacramento
San Bernardino
Santa Clara
San Diego
San Francisco
San Joaquin
All Others
Total

Number
Paroled
2,685
1,931
2,065
21,086
5,574
4,144
3,318
5,245
1,815
3,944
536
1,175
11,173
64,691

Number
Returned
1,445
1,429
1,325
11,509
2,863
2,809
1,694
3,595
1,191
2,728
389
883
7,414
39,274

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
53.8%
74.0%
64.2%
54.6%
51.4%
67.8%
51.1%
68.5%
65.6%
69.2%
72.6%
75.1%
66.4%
60.7%

Number
Paroled
2,359
2,388
1,765
7,233
2,462
2,496
2,308
3,683
1,706
3,186
1,099
1,351
10,442
42,478

Number
Returned
1,821
1,973
1,421
5,235
1,921
2,046
1,829
3,047
1,287
2,581
892
1,114
8,384
33,551

Total
Recidivism
Rate
77.2%
82.6%
80.5%
72.4%
78.0%
82.0%
79.2%
82.7%
75.4%
81.0%
81.2%
82.5%
80.3%
79.0%

Number
Paroled
5,044
4,319
3,830
28,319
8,036
6,640
5,626
8,928
3,521
7,130
1,635
2,526
21,615
107,169

8 Offender Characteristics
Offender characteristics include the categories for the controlling
crime of the current term; special classifications of inmates
including registered sex offenders, serious or violent offenders,
EOP inmates; number and length of prior prison stays; and risk to
reoffend, as measured by the CSRA at the time of release and
entry into the recidivism cohort.

10

Direct discharges are not included since these individuals do not have
a parole county.

Number
Returned
3,266
3,402
2,746
16,744
4,784
4,855
3,523
6,642
2,478
5,309
1,281
1,997
15,798
72,825

Recidivism
Rate
64.8%
78.8%
71.7%
59.1%
59.5%
73.1%
62.6%
74.4%
70.4%
74.5%
78.3%
79.1%
73.1%
68.0%

19

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

8.1 Commitment Offense Category
Figure 9. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense Category
100%
90%

At 71.9 percent,
inmates
committed to
CDCR for
property crimes
have the highest
three-year
recidivism rate.

80%
71.9%

70%

67.1%

60%

64.6%

60.7% 60.3%

59.4%

65.5% 65.9%

53.7%

50%

47.5% 46.4%

45.7%

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
One Year
Crime Against Persons

Two Years
Property Crime

Three Years
Drug Crime

Other Crime

Figure and Table 9 reveal that inmates committed for property
crimes have the highest overall, three-year recidivism rate. Over
half of the inmates released with a property crime commitment
recidivated within the first year of release and 71.9 percent
recidivated within three years of their release. Inmates committed
for crimes against persons, drug crimes or other offenses
recidivate at an almost identical lower rate, whether it was at one,
two, or three years of follow-up.
Re-release inmates with drug crime commitments have a threeyear recidivism rate that is 19 percentage points higher than firstrelease inmates for a drug crime commitment (77.1 percent
versus 58.0 percent, respectively). Similarly, re-releases with a
crime against a person commitment have a three-year recidivism
rate that is approximately 17 percentage points higher than first
releases with a crime against a person commitment (74.4 percent
versus 57.0 percent, respectively).
Table 9. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense Category
First Releases
Offense Categories
Crime Against Persons
Property Crimes
Drug Crimes
Other Crimes
Total

Number
Released
14,098
22,145
21,067
7,418
64,728

Number
Returned
8,042
14,576
12,219
4,444
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
57.0%
65.8%
58.0%
59.9%
60.7%

Number
Released
10,822
14,608
13,722
4,782
43,934

Number
Returned
8,049
11,848
10,575
3,597
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
74.4%
81.1%
77.1%
75.2%
77.5%

Number
Released
24,920
36,753
34,789
12,200
108,662

Number
Returned
16,091
26,424
22,794
8,041
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
64.6%
71.9%
65.5%
65.9%
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

8.2 Commitment Offense 11,12,13
Figure 10. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense
Vehicular Manslaughter

40.0%

CS Manufacturing

45.2%

Lewd Act With Child

46.2%

Attempted Murder Second

47.6%

Kidnapping

48.8%

Rape

49.7%

Driving Under Influence

50.9%

Manslaughter

51.3%

Sexual Penetration with Object

53.7%

Oral Copulation

54.4%

Marijuana Other

54.5%

Marijuana Sale

56.1%

CS Possession for Sale

56.5%

Marijuana Possession for Sale

59.2%

Arson

59.7%

Sodomy

61.0%

CS Sales

62.2%

Forgery/Fraud

63.1%

Assault with Deadly Weapon

64.3%

Robbery

65.2%

Grand Theft

66.0%

Other Property

66.7%

Other Offenses

67.9%

Burglary - First Degree

68.6%

Other Assault/Battery

69.5%

CS Other

70.4%

Possession Weapon

71.0%

Burglary - Second Degree

72.2%

CS Possession

72.6%

Other Sex

73.1%

Petty Theft With Prior

73.6%

Hashish Possession

74.5%

Receiving Stolen Property

75.3%

Escape/Abscond

75.9%

Vehicle Theft

77.0%
0%

11

12

13

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

Other sex offenses include failure to register as a sex offender,
unlawful sex with a minor, and indecent exposure.
Other offenses include threaten crime, false imprisonment, accessory,
and malicious harassment.
CS is an abbreviation for “Controlled Substance.”

100%

21

22

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

The seriousness
of an inmate’s
commitment crime
may be unrelated
to his/her
recidivism risk.

Figure and Table 10 show the top three highest three-year
recidivism rates for all releases occurs for inmates who were
committed to a CDCR adult institution for vehicle theft,
escaping/absconding and receiving stolen property (ranging from
75.3 to 77.0 percent). The lowest three recidivism rates for all
releases occurs for inmates committed to CDCR for vehicular
manslaughter, controlled substance manufacturing, and for
committing a lewd act with a child (ranging from 40.0 to
46.2 percent).
These results indicate that the seriousness of the crime for which
the inmate served time may be unrelated to his/her recidivism risk.
For example, approximately 77 percent of inmates convicted of
vehicle theft recidivate within three years, whereas approximately
50 percent of inmates convicted of rape (more than 25 percentage
points less) recidivate within three years.
There are also differences when examining commitment offense
grouping by type of release. Despite their commitment crime, all
re-releases have at least a 60 percent recidivism rate, ranging
from as low as 63.0 percent (lewd act with a child) to 83.3 percent
(for vehicle theft). However, such a broad statement cannot be
made for first releases due to the wide range in their recidivism
rates, which vary by as much as 43.4 percentage points (vehicular
manslaughter
is
the
lowest
at
31.0
percent
and
escape/absconding is the highest at 74.4 percent).

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 10. Recidivism Rates by Commitment Offense 14
First Releases
Offense
Murder First (old law)
Murder First (new law)
Murder Second (old law)
Murder Second (new law)
Attempted Murder First
Vehicular Manslaughter
CS Manufacturing
Lewd Act With Child
Attempted Murder Second
Kidnapping
Rape
Driving Under Influence
Manslaughter
Sexual Penetration with Object
Oral Copulation
Marijuana Other
Marijuana Sale
CS Possession for Sale
Marijuana Possession for Sale
Arson
Sodomy
CS Sales
Forgery/Fraud
Assault with Deadly Weapon
Robbery
Grand Theft
Other Property
Other Offenses
Burglary - First Degree
Other Assault/Battery
CS Other
Possession Weapon
Burglary - Second Degree
CS Possession
Other Sex
Petty Theft With Prior
Hashish Possession
Receiving Stolen Property
Escape/Abscond
Vehicle Theft
Total

14

Number
Released
4
5
1
27
12
168
739
1,151
188
137
230
1,617
293
73
94
76
303
6,658
669
169
22
1,938
2,298
3,039
2,697
2,049
585
2,103
1,947
4,864
404
3,443
4,180
10,250
1,093
3,615
30
2,874
86
4,597
64,728

Number
Returned
0
0
0
3
2
52
230
432
70
55
88
664
124
30
39
25
145
3,246
347
85
13
1,042
1,243
1,761
1,583
1,185
353
1,269
1,176
3,059
259
2,362
2,768
6,906
731
2,465
19
2,014
64
3,372
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
31.0%
31.1%
37.5%
37.2%
40.1%
38.3%
41.1%
42.3%
41.1%
41.5%
32.9%
47.9%
48.8%
51.9%
50.3%
N/A
53.8%
54.1%
57.9%
58.7%
57.8%
60.3%
60.3%
60.4%
62.9%
64.1%
68.6%
66.2%
67.4%
66.9%
68.2%
63.3%
70.1%
74.4%
73.4%
60.7%

Number
Released
0
0
0
2
2
47
394
594
98
80
148
764
183
35
88
67
185
3,116
369
151
19
1,144
1,246
2,292
2,147
1,331
371
1,690
1,532
4,038
318
2,089
2,788
8,108
1,049
2,732
21
1,914
88
2,694
43,934

Number
Returned
0
0
0
1
2
34
282
374
66
51
100
549
120
28
60
53
129
2,278
268
106
12
876
994
1,665
1,575
1,047
285
1,307
1,212
3,127
249
1,567
2,264
6,421
834
2,209
19
1,592
68
2,245
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
72.3%
71.6%
63.0%
67.3%
63.8%
67.6%
71.9%
65.6%
80.0%
68.2%
79.1%
69.7%
73.1%
72.6%
70.2%
N/A
76.6%
79.8%
72.6%
73.4%
78.7%
76.8%
77.3%
79.1%
77.4%
78.3%
75.0%
81.2%
79.2%
79.5%
80.9%
N/A
83.2%
77.3%
83.3%
77.5%

Recidivism rates were not calculated when fewer than 30 inmates
were released.

Number
Released
4
5
1
29
14
215
1,133
1,745
286
217
378
2,381
476
108
182
143
488
9,774
1,038
320
41
3,082
3,544
5,331
4,844
3,380
956
3,793
3,479
8,902
722
5,532
6,968
18,358
2,142
6,347
51
4,788
174
7,291
108,662

Number
Returned
0
0
0
4
4
86
512
806
136
106
188
1,213
244
58
99
78
274
5,524
615
191
25
1,918
2,237
3,426
3,158
2,232
638
2,576
2,388
6,186
508
3,929
5,032
13,327
1,565
4,674
38
3,606
132
5,617
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
40.0%
45.2%
46.2%
47.6%
48.8%
49.7%
50.9%
51.3%
53.7%
54.4%
54.5%
56.1%
56.5%
59.2%
59.7%
61.0%
62.2%
63.1%
64.3%
65.2%
66.0%
66.7%
67.9%
68.6%
69.5%
70.4%
71.0%
72.2%
72.6%
73.1%
73.6%
74.5%
75.3%
75.9%
77.0%
67.5%

23

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

8.3 Sex Offenders
Figure 11. Recidivism Rates by Sex Registration Flag
100%
90%

Flagged sex
offenders have a
recidivism rate that
is lower than
nonflagged felons.

80%
67.7%

70%
59.3%

60%
50%

46.5%

64.6%

62.8%

49.3%

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
One Year

Two Years
Sex Registration Flag

Three Years

No Sex Registration Flag

Figure and Table 11 show that for all releases, the three-year
recidivism rate for flagged sex offenders is 3.1 percentage points
lower than nonflagged offenders.
First-release flagged sex
offenders have a lower recidivism rate than nonflagged offenders
(5.0 percentage points) while re-release flagged sex offenders
also have a lower recidivism rate than those offenders who were
re-released without a sex registration flag (2.1 percentage points).

Table 11. Recidivism Rates by Sex Registration Flag
First Releases
Sex Registration
Flag
Yes
No
Total

Number
Released
3,959
60,769
64,728

Number
Returned
2,219
37,062
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
56.0%
61.0%
60.7%

Number
Released
3,052
40,882
43,934

Number
Returned
2,308
31,761
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
75.6%
77.7%
77.5%

Number
Released
7,011
101,651
108,662

Number
Returned
4,527
68,823
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
64.6%
67.7%
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report

25

October 2010

8.3.1 Recommitment Offense for Flagged Sex Offenders
Figure 12. Flagged Sex Offender Re-Commitment Offense

86.0%
Parole Violation

5.0%
New Sex Crime
8.9%
N=4,527

New Non-Sex Crime

Recidivating flagged sex offenders are most often returned to
prison for a new nonsex crime than for a new sex crime. As seen
in Figure and Table 12, a larger proportion of flagged sex
offenders return to prison for a new nonsex crime offense (8.9
percent), exceeding those who return to prison for a new sex
crime (5.0 percent).
A slightly higher proportion of flagged sex offenders return to
prison for a new sex crime or for a new nonsex crime after having
served more than one prison sentence (an increase of 1.6 and 1.7
percentage points, respectively). Regardless of the release type,
86.0 percent of flagged sex offenders return to prison for parole
violations.
Table 12. Flagged Sex Offender Recommitment Offense 15
First Releases Returned Re-Releases Returned
Reason for Recidivism
New Sex Crime
New Non-Sex Crime
Parole Violation
Total

15

Number
93
179
1,947
2,219

Percent
4.2
8.1
87.7
100.0

Number
135
226
1,947
2,308

Percent
5.8
9.8
84.4
100.0

Percent totals may not equal 100% due to rounding.

Total Returned
Number
228
405
3,894
4,527

Percent
5.0
8.9
86.0
99.9

Flagged sex
offenders are more
likely to be
recommitted to
CDCR for a new
nonsex crime than
for a new sex
crime.

26

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

8.4 Serious or Violent Offenders
Figure 13. Recidivism Rates by Serious/Violent Offender Flag
100%
90%

Inmates
identified as being
serious/violent
recidivate at a
rate lower than
those without a
serious/violent
offense.

80%
68.7%

70%

63.9%

60%
50%

62.7%

57.3%
50.5%
43.4%

40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
One Year

Two Years
Serious/Violent Offenders

Three Years

No Serious/Violent Flag

Figure and Table 13 show that across all three years
serious/violent offenders return to prison at a lower rate than
inmates not flagged for serious/violent offenses. Within the first
year of release, roughly 50 percent of the nonserious/nonviolent
inmates return to prison and 43.4 percent of serious/violent
offenders return to prison. By the third year, nonserious/nonviolent
inmates recidivate at a rate of 68.7 percent and serious/violent
offenders recidivate at a rate of 62.7 percent.
First-release serious/violent and nonserious/nonviolent inmates
recidivate at lower rates (55.0 percent and 62.1 percent,
respectively)
than
re-release
serious/violent
and
nonserious/nonviolent inmates (73.6 percent and 78.6 percent,
respectively).
Table 13. Recidivism Rates by Serious/Violent Offender Flag
First Releases
Serious/Violent
Offense
Yes
No
Total

Number
Released
13,113
51,615
64,728

Number
Returned
7,211
32,070
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
55.0%
62.1%
60.7%

Number
Released
9,222
34,712
43,934

Number
Returned
6,791
27,278
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
73.6%
78.6%
77.5%

Number
Released
22,335
86,327
108,662

Number
Returned
14,002
59,348
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
62.7%
68.7%
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report

27

October 2010

8.5 Mental Health Status
Fourteen percent of the felons released from CDCR in
FY 2005-06 were designated as either EOP or CCCMS. EOP is
designed for mentally ill inmates who experience adjustment
difficulties in a general population setting, but are not so impaired
that they require 24-hour inpatient care. Similar to secure daytreatment services in the community, the program includes
10 hours of structured clinical activity per week, individual clinical
contacts at least every 2 weeks, and enhanced nursing services.
Inmates receiving CCCMS services are housed within the general
population and participate on an outpatient basis. Services
include individual counseling, crisis intervention, medication
review, group therapy, social skills training, clinical discharge and
pre-release planning. This is similar to an outpatient program in
the community.
Figure 14. Recidivism Rates by Mental Health Status
100%
90%
80%

77.6%

73.7%
69.7%

70%
61.6%

60%

74.3%
66.2%

61.2%
56.5%
47.6%

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
One Year

Enhanced Outpatient Program

Two Years
Correctional Clinical Case Management System

Three Years
No Mental Health Code

Table 14 shows that inmates with identified mental health issues
recidivate at higher rates than those who do not. Furthermore,
Figure 14 illustrates that the recidivism rate is higher for inmates
who received mental health treatment services in the CDCR EOP
than those who received services in the CCCMS. For each of
these mental health treatment programs, the greatest increase in
the recidivism rate occurs between years one and two, and then
stabilizes from year two to year three. Note: Results for inmates

Overall, inmates
with identified
mental health
issues recidivate at
a higher rate than
those without
mental health
issues.

28

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

placed in a Crisis Bed program and at the Department of Mental
Health are not charted due to low numbers.
Comparison of the three-year recidivism rate for inmates who
were identified as needing mental health services to the recidivism
rate for all nonmental health first releases reveals that inmates
who suffer from mental health issues recidivate at a higher rate
than those who do not (see Table 14). Specifically, the recidivism
rates for the EOP and CCCMS inmates are higher (77.6 percent
and 74.3 percent, respectively) than that for inmates who did not
have a mental health code designation (66.2 percent).
At the end of three years, first-release inmates with an EOP
designation recidivate at higher rate (74.9 percent) than those
designated as CCCMS (69.3 percent). In addition, first releases
who were served by the EOP have a recidivism rate that is
15.4 percentage points higher than those who did not have a
mental health code designation, and first-release inmates served
by the CCCMS recidivated at a rate that was 9.8 percentage
points higher.
In contrast, the recidivism rates for re-released mental health
inmates did not differ much from nonmental health inmates. Rereleased inmates who were EOP or CCCMS have a higher
recidivism rate (79.8 percent and 78.8 percent, respectively) than
nonmental health inmates (77.2 percent).

Table 14. Recidivism Rates by Mental Health Status 16
First Releases
Mental Health Code
Enhanced Outpatient Program
Correctional Clinical Case Management System
Crisis Bed
No Mental Health Code
Department Mental Health
Total

16

Number
Released
2,128
4,764
5
57,825
6
64,728

Number
Returned
1,593
3,301
2
34,383
2
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
74.9%
69.3%
N/A
59.5%
N/A
60.7%

Number
Released
2,765
5,353
31
35,784
1
43,934

Number
Returned
2,206
4,220
23
27,619
1
34,069

Total
Recidivism
Rate
79.8%
78.8%
74.2%
77.2%
N/A
77.5%

Number
Released
4,893
10,117
36
93,609
7
108,662

Recidivism rates were not calculated when fewer than 30 inmates
were released.

Number
Returned
3,799
7,521
25
62,002
3
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
77.6%
74.3%
69.4%
66.2%
N/A
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

8.6 Risk of Recidivism
The CSRA is a tool used to calculate an offender’s risk of being
convicted of a new offense after release from prison. Based on
their criminal history, offenders are designated as having either a
low, medium or high risk of being convicted of a new offense after
release, with the high-risk being further delineated with three subcategories (high drug, high property and high violence). Over half
of all inmates released from CDCR in FY 2005-06 were
designated as being at high-risk of recidivism.
Figure 15. Recidivism Rates by CSRA Risk Category

100%
90%
80%

77.7%

73.0%

70%
62.2%

59.2%

60%

56.8%

50%
42.7%

40%
30%

45.0%
39.7%

28.3%

20%
10%
0%
One Year

Two Years
Low

Medium

Three Years
High

As expected, the three-year recidivism rate for all releases is
lowest for those with a low-risk score (45.0 percent) followed by
those with a medium-risk score (62.2 percent), and the high-risk
inmates have the highest recidivism rate (77.7 percent)
(see Figure and Table 15).
Similarly, recidivism rates for first releases and re-releases
increase as inmate risk level increases. However, the lower the
risk score, the larger the difference in recidivism rate between first
releases and re-releases. Low-risk re-releases recidivate at a rate
26 percentage points higher than low-risk first releases. Mediumrisk re-releases recidivate at a rate 18 percentage points higher
than medium-risk first releases. High-risk re-releases recidivate at
a rate seven percentage points higher than high-risk first releases.

Acutal recidivism
rates increase in
line with predicted
recidivism rates,
as measured by
the CSRA.

29

30

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

These results emphasize the impact of release type on recidivism,
even for inmates who are identified as being at low-risk for
recidivism.
Table 15. Recidivism Rates by CSRA Risk Category 17
First Releases
Risk Score
Low
Medium
High
N/A
Total

Number
Released
12,911
20,339
30,047
1,431
64,728

Number
Returned
4,902
11,385
22,300
694
39,281

Total

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
38.0%
56.0%
74.2%
48.5%
60.7%

Number
Released
4,822
10,655
27,223
1,234
43,934

Number
Returned
3,073
7,880
22,227
889
34,069

Recidivism
Rate
63.7%
74.0%
81.6%
72.0%
77.5%

Number
Released
17,733
30,994
57,270
2,665
108,662

Number
Returned
7,975
19,265
44,527
1,583
73,350

9 CDCR Incarceration Experience
For the purpose of this report, length-of-stay refers to the total
amount of time an inmate served in CDCR adult institutions on the
term from which she/he was released in FY 2005-06, regardless
of the number of times an inmate cycled in and out of
incarceration prior to the FY 2005-06 release.
Example: Prior to being released in FY 2005-06, an inmate who
was initially committed to CDCR on August 1, 2001,
initially paroled on August 1, 2003 (24 months served
at CDCR), returned to prison on the same term on
December 1, 2003, was released again on
April 1, 2004 (4 more months served at CDCR), then
returned to prison on the same term on April 1, 2005,
and was released during the FY 2005-06 cohort period
on August 1, 2005 (4 months served at CDCR). Added
together, this inmate would have a total of 32 months in
CDCR for the current term.

17

N/A reflects scores computed manually for inmates whose CII
numbers did not match to the Department of Justice rap sheet data
files. Consequently, the CSRA scores for these inmates are currently
unavailable.

Recidivism
Rate
45.0%
62.2%
77.7%
59.4%
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

9.1 Length-of-Stay (Current Term)
Figure 16. Recidivism Rates by Length-of-Stay
100%
90%
80%
70.2%

70%
63.1%

71.5%

66.0%

70.0%

68.8%
65.4%

60%

62.0%

58.0%

50%
40%

37.8%

30%
20%
10%
0%
0-6
months

7 - 12
months

13 - 18
months

19 - 24
months

2-3
years

3-4
years

4-5
years

5 - 10
years

10 - 15
years

15 +
years

Figure 16 shows that the FY 2005-06 cohort recidivism rate is
63.1 percent for inmates who served 0 to 6 months on their
current term. From that point, the recidivism rate increases
incrementally until it peaks at 71.5 percent for those who served
19 to 24 months on their current term. Thereafter, the recidivism
rate drops steadily as the length-of-stay increases, ending with
inmates who served 15 or more years having a recidivism rate of
37.8 percent.
First releases show a different pattern than that of the overall
cohort (see Table 16). First releases peak at 13 to 18 months
(63.1 percent) and then decrease thereafter, ending with inmates
who served 15 or more years having a 31.3 percent recidivism
rate. Re-releases show a similar pattern to that of the overall
cohort, peaking at 19 to 24 months (79.6 percent) and then
decrease thereafter. Diverging from the first releases and the
overall cohort, re-releases end with inmates who served 15 or
more years having a much higher recidivism rate (51.9 percent).
The effects of length-of-stay may also be confounded by the
effects of age.

Recidivism rates
peak for inmates
who serve
19 to 24 months
(71.5 percent) and
decline thereafter.

31

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2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 16. Recidivism Rates by Length-of-Stay
First Releases
Length-of-Stay
0 - 6 months
7 - 12 months
13 - 18 months
19 - 24 months
2 - 3 years
3 - 4 years
4 - 5 years
5 - 10 years
10 - 15 years
15 + years
Total

Number
Released
9,694
24,617
10,314
6,339
5,765
2,436
1,814
3,170
467
112
64,728

Number
Returned
5,889
15,427
6,503
3,943
3,381
1,342
978
1,563
220
35
39,281

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
60.7%
62.7%
63.1%
62.2%
58.6%
55.1%
53.9%
49.3%
47.1%
31.3%
60.7%

Number
Released
1,915
6,857
8,491
7,291
9,361
4,508
2,045
3,067
347
52
43,934

Total
Recidivism
Rate
74.9%
78.1%
79.0%
79.6%
77.0%
76.2%
75.5%
75.1%
72.6%
51.9%
77.5%

Number
Returned
1,435
5,355
6,707
5,800
7,212
3,433
1,544
2,304
252
27
34,069

Number
Released
11,609
31,474
18,805
13,630
15,126
6,944
3,859
6,237
814
164
108,662

Number
Returned
7,324
20,782
13,210
9,743
10,593
4,775
2,522
3,867
472
62
73,350

9.2 Number of Returns to CDCR Custody Prior to
Release (Current Term Only)
Figure 17.

Number of Returns to CDCR Custody (RTC) on the
Current Term Prior to Release

100%
90%
77.9%

80%

Inmates who
return to CDCR
incarceration once
during their current
term have a
recidivism rate
similar to inmates
who have multiple
returns
to custody.

79.8%

78.1%
75.0%

73.5%

72.4%

73.1%

70%

69.3%
64.7%

60.7%

58.3%

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
None

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10+

Number of Prior RTCs

Figure and Table 17 show the number of returns to CDCR custody
on the current term for inmates released from CDCR during
FY 2005-06. The “None” category represents inmates released
for the first time (i.e., these individuals have no prior returns for
their current term).
There is little variation in the recidivism rate despite the number of
prior returns to CDCR custody within the current term. An inmate
who returns once on the current term has a recidivism rate similar

Recidivism
Rate
63.1%
66.0%
70.2%
71.5%
70.0%
68.8%
65.4%
62.0%
58.0%
37.8%
67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report

33

October 2010

to that of an inmate who returns twice, three times, four times, etc.
This relationship changes when all stays on all terms are taken
into account (see Section 9.3, below).
Table 17.

Number of Returns to CDCR Custody on Current
Term Prior to Release
Total
RTCs on
Current Term
None
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10+
Total

Number
Released
64,728
20,079
9,881
5,804
3,665
2,134
1,183
610
313
150
115
108,662

Number
Returned
39,281
15,648
7,887
4,534
2,748
1,568
857
446
217
97
67
73,350

Recidivism
Rate
60.7%
77.9%
79.8%
78.1%
75.0%
73.5%
72.4%
73.1%
69.3%
64.7%
58.3%
67.5%

9.3 Number of CDCR Stays Ever
(All Terms Combined)

Over an inmate’s
entire criminal
career, recidivism
rates increase with
each additional
stay at a CDCR
institution.

Figure 18. Recidivism Rates by Total Number of Stays Ever
1

51.1%

2

66.3%

3

70.4%

4

72.1%

5

72.8%

6

74.0%

7

77.2%

8

79.4%

9

81.6%

10

81.1%

11

82.7%

12

83.6%

13

84.7%

14

86.4%

15+

86.3%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

100%

34

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

A stay is defined as any period of time an inmate is housed in a
CDCR institution. Each time an inmate returns to prison it is
considered a new stay, regardless of whether the return
represents a new admission, a parole violation with a new term, or
a return to prison following a parole violation. The number of
stays is cumulative over any number of convictions or terms in an
offender’s criminal career.
As the number of prior incarcerations in CDCR adult institutions
increases, so does the likelihood of return to prison (see Figure
and Table 18). Examination of prior CDCR stays for inmates
released in FY 2005-06 supports this assertion. While there are
progressively fewer inmates who return to prison over time, the
recidivism rates for those who do return increases incrementally
with each additional stay, from 51.1 percent for inmates who had
one (first ever) stay to 86.3 percent for inmates who had 15-plus
stays. Almost half (48 percent) of the inmates returned to prison
have between one and three CDCR stays and the greatest
increase in the recidivism rates occurs between one and two stays
(15.2 percent increase).

Table 18. Recidivism Rates by Total Number of Stays Ever
First Releases
Stays
1

Number
Paroled
31,257

Number
Returned
15,969

Re-Releases
Recidivism
Rate
51.1%

Number
Paroled
0

Number
Returned
0

Total
Recidivism
Rate
N/A

Number
Paroled
31,257

Number
Returned
15,969

Recidivism
Rate
51.1%
66.3%

2

8,012

4,642

57.9%

8,962

6,620

73.9%

16,974

11,262

3

5,132

3,276

63.8%

6,678

5,038

75.4%

11,810

8,314

70.4%

4

3,822

2,580

67.5%

4,983

3,771

75.7%

8,805

6,351

72.1%

5

3,195

2,260

70.7%

3,988

2,970

74.5%

7,183

5,230

72.8%

6

2,676

1,930

72.1%

3,340

2,524

75.6%

6,016

4,454

74.0%

7

2,197

1,653

75.2%

2,820

2,219

78.7%

5,017

3,872

77.2%

8

1,726

1,368

79.3%

2,316

1,843

79.6%

4,042

3,211

79.4%

9

1,516

1,237

81.6%

1,921

1,567

81.6%

3,437

2,804

81.6%

10

1,169

933

79.8%

1,637

1,343

82.0%

2,806

2,276

81.1%

11

895

733

81.9%

1,388

1,156

83.3%

2,283

1,889

82.7%

12

731

614

84.0%

1,189

992

83.4%

1,920

1,606

83.6%

13

540

462

85.6%

980

825

84.2%

1,520

1,287

84.7%

14

463

396

85.5%

787

684

86.9%

1,250

1,080

86.4%

1,397
64,728

1,228
39,281

87.9%
60.7%

2,945
43,934

2,517
34,069

85.5%
77.5%

4,342
108,662

3,745
73,350

86.3%
67.5%

15+
Total

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report

35

October 2010

10 Recidivism by Institutional Missions
Figure 19. Recidivism Rates by Institutional Missions 18
100%
90%
80%
70%

74.9%
68.2%

67.4%

67.8%
59.3%

60%

55.5%

63.5%
58.8%

63.4%

50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Level I

Level II

Level III

Level IV

Female
Institutions

Camps

Reception
Centers

Other
Facilities

Under 30
days

Institutional Mission

Figure and Table 19 show the three-year recidivism rates for the
FY 2005-06 inmates categorized by the last mission 19 in which
they were housed for at least 30 days prior to being released.
[Note: Table 21 shows these mission recidivism rates further
broken out by gender and institutions.] The three-year recidivism
rate is highest for inmates who were released to parole from
reception centers (74.9 percent). Recidivism rates were fairly
comparable for inmates who were assigned to the first three
housing levels (approximately 67 to 68 percent), with inmates who
were assigned to the highest housing level (Level IV) having the
lowest
recidivism
rate
of
all
CDCR
missions
(approximately 55 percent).

18

19

Since inmates are often transferred to institutions closer to their county
just prior to release, it was decided that the last institution where an
inmate spent at least 30 days prior to being released to parole in FY
2005-06 would be the inmate’s institution of release. The “Under 30
Days” category reflects those inmates who were not incarcerated in
any one institution for at least 30 days prior to being paroled.
Since females are not housed according to levels, all female institutions
are collapsed and displayed as “Female Institutions.” Levels I through
IV are male only. Camps, reception centers, other facilities and under
30 days categories are comprised of both males and females.

Inmates housed in
reception centers
at least 30 days
prior to release are
more likely to
recidivate than
inmates housed at
any other CDCR
mission.

36

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 19. Recidivism Rates by Institutional Missions 20
Percent of Total
Released with a
High Risk
CSRA Score
Institutional Mission
Level I
54.3%
Level II
51.1%
Level III
56.5%
Level IV
48.3%
Female Institutions
33.5%
Camps
48.4%
Reception Centers
59.1%
Other Facilities
54.4%
Under 30 days
36.0%
Total
52.1%

Although inmates
housed in
reception centers
have the highest
recidivism rate for
all missions overall
and for first
releases, inmates
re-released from
reception centers
have the second
lowest rate for all
missions.

First Releases
Number
Released
11,960
17,483
7,674
5,786
5,504
2,699
4,944
7,959
719
64,728

Number Recidivism
Returned
Rate
7,653
64.0%
11,008
63.0%
4,884
63.6%
2,852
49.3%
2,835
51.5%
1,588
58.8%
3,209
64.9%
4,797
60.3%
455
63.3%
39,281
60.7%

Re-Releases
Number
Released
4,883
7,358
2,380
1,520
2,907
3
23,316
1,564
3
43,934

Number Recidivism
Returned
Rate
3,833
78.5%
5,746
78.1%
1,930
81.1%
1,201
79.0%
2,153
74.1%
2
N/A
17,952
77.0%
1,249
79.9%
3
N/A
34,069
77.5%

Total
Number
Released
16,843
24,841
10,054
7,306
8,411
2,702
28,260
9,523
722
108,662

Number Recidivism
Returned
Rate
11,486
68.2%
16,754
67.4%
6,814
67.8%
4,053
55.5%
4,988
59.3%
1,590
58.8%
21,161
74.9%
6,046
63.5%
458
63.4%
73,350
67.5%

While women housed in CDCR female institutions recidivated at a
slightly higher rate (approximately four percentage points) than
males in Level IV housing and at almost the same rate as inmates
housed in CDCR camps, females still had a lower rate than males
housed in Level I through III institutions or than inmates housed in
“other facilities.” Inmates who were incarcerated in a CDCR adult
institution less than 30 days prior to release recidivated at a rate
similar to those housed in “other facilities” (slightly more than
60 percent).
First releases recidivate at a lower rate (ranging from 49.3 to 64.9
percent)
than
re-releases
(ranging
from
74.1
to
81.1 percent). After ranking the recidivism rates from highest to
lowest for each mission for both first and re-releases (Table 20),
comparisons of the results show that inmates who are housed in
reception centers have the highest recidivism rate when they are
first releases and the second lowest recidivism rate when they are
re-releases. In addition, inmates housed in both Level IV and
“other facilities” moved in the rankings to reveal a higher likelihood
to recidivate if they were re-releases. Women housed in female
institutions had the second lowest and lowest recidivism rates for
both the first and re-releases, respectively.

20

Recidivism rates were not calculated where less than 30 inmates
were released.

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 20. Recidivism Rates by Institutional Missions
Sorted from Highest to Lowest
First Releases
Institutional
Mission
Reception Centers
Level I
Level III
Under 30 days
Level II
Other Facilities
Camps
Female Institutions
Level IV

Recidivism
Rate
64.9%
64.0%
63.6%
63.3%
63.0%
60.3%
58.8%
51.5%
49.3%

Re-Releases
Institutional
Mission
Level III
Other Facilities
Level IV
Level I
Level II
Reception Centers
Female Institutions
Camps
Under 30 days

Recidivism
Rate
81.1%
79.9%
79.0%
78.5%
78.1%
77.0%
74.1%
N/A
N/A

Table 19 also presents the percentage of inmates who were
released with a high CSRA score (i.e., were identified as having a
high risk to recidivate). Although it may seem logical that inmate
risk to recidivate would increase as housing level increased, there
is actually almost an inverse relationship between these two
factors, with risk to recidivate decreasing as security housing
increases. The exception to this finding is for Level III inmates
who have both a high CDCR security housing level and also
represent the greatest proportion of inmates (within the four
housing levels) that have high CSRA risk scores.

37

38

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 21. Mission and Institution Recidivism Rates by Gender 21
Demographics
Median
Age
Mission

High
Risk

Institution

Recidivism Rates

Median
LOS
(Months)

First Releases

Re-Releases

Total

Number

Number

Recidivism

Number

Number

Recidivism

Number

Number

Recidivism

Released

Returned

Rate

Released

Returned

Rate

Released

Returned

Rate

Male
Camps

CCC

35

50.3%

18.9

1,036

615

59.4%

1

1

N/A

1,037

616

59.4%

CMC

35

43.5%

22.3

46

27

58.7%

0

0

N/A

46

27

58.7%

SCC

35
35

50.9%

16.8

872
1,514

2
3

1
2

N/A
N/A

1,406
2,489

873
1,516

62.1%

17.6

1,404
2,486

62.1%

50.5%

Sub-Total
LEVEL I

CAL

34

61.5%

3.5

256

170

66.4%

454

355

78.2%

710

525

73.9%

33

54.6%

9.4

1,603

1,068

66.6%

324

241

74.4%

1,927

1,309

67.9%

CEN

32

58.4%

5.3

208

129

62.0%

167

135

80.8%

375

264

70.4%

CIM

39

38.5%

13.0

2,554

1,572

61.6%

1,129

868

76.9%

3,683

2,440

66.3%

CMC

33

49.8%

13.4

205

114

55.6%

2

2

N/A

207

116

56.0%

CMF

38

53.5%

4.6

131

91

69.5%

86

70

81.4%

217

161

74.2%

COR

37

54.7%

5.7

655

407

62.1%

274

211

77.0%

929

618

66.5%

CSP-SAC

35

57.3%

4.3

445

297

66.7%

217

171

78.8%

662

468

70.7%

CTF

37

45.5%

5.8

753

443

58.8%

115

81

70.4%

868

524

60.4%

CVSP

33

58.7%

5.2

286

167

58.4%

220

181

82.3%

506

348

68.8%

DVI

42

32.3%

39.3

30

14

46.7%

1

0

N/A

31

14

45.2%

FOL

35

58.1%

5.3

304

202

66.4%

185

149

80.5%

489

351

71.8%

HDP

36

54.7%

4.8

357

233

65.3%

180

143

79.4%

537

376

70.0%

IONE

35

56.7%

9.3

262

178

67.9%

15

11

N/A

277

189

68.2%

ISP

35

57.1%

4.2

262

164

62.6%

242

191

78.9%

504

355

70.4%

KVSP

35

58.4%

4.4

244

161

66.0%

107

94

87.9%

351

255

72.6%

LAC

35

55.6%

5.1

277

171

61.7%

117

92

78.6%

394

263

66.8%

NKP

38

53.4%

5.7

320

190

59.4%

45

34

75.6%

365

224

61.4%

PSP

36

62.3%

6.3

267

184

68.9%

102

80

78.4%

369

264

71.5%

PVP

36

55.9%

5.5

278

182

65.5%

112

97

86.6%

390

279

71.5%

RJD

37

54.6%

7.6

267

183

68.5%

101

79

78.2%

368

262

71.2%

SCC

34

54.4%

6.8

1,374

951

69.2%

424

336

79.2%

1,798

1,287

71.6%

SVSP

37

53.7%

5.7

317

210

66.2%

111

86

77.5%

428

296

69.2%

WSP

36
36

51.3%

4.3

126
3,833

78.5%

458
16,843

298
11,486

65.1%

64.0%

153
4,883

82.4%

5.5

172
7,653

56.4%

54.3%

305
11,960

65.9%

Sub-Total

68.2%

AVE

35

48.0%

6.1

3,139

1,952

62.2%

1,203

908

75.5%

4,342

2,860

CCI

39

44.3%

5.3

1,918

1,113

58.0%

249

193

77.5%

2,167

1,306

60.3%

CMC

35

49.4%

6.5

2,053

1,232

60.0%

571

442

77.4%

2,624

1,674

63.8%

CMF

35

48.4%

6.2

168

101

60.1%

84

66

78.6%

252

167

66.3%

CRC

35

49.1%

5.1

1,725

1,038

60.2%

1,037

787

75.9%

2,762

1,825

66.1%

CSP-S

34

51.0%

7.6

1,552

1,078

69.5%

492

390

79.3%

2,044

1,468

71.8%

CTF

37

47.9%

5.6

568

372

65.5%

161

132

82.0%

729

504

69.1%

CVSP

34

50.9%

4.9

1,088

662

60.8%

721

572

79.3%

1,809

1,234

68.2%

DVI

36

59.2%

4.1

468

287

61.3%

565

443

78.4%

1,033

730

70.7%

FOL

32

63.5%

4.6

918

634

69.1%

283

232

82.0%

1,201

866

72.1%

HDP

34

54.8%

4.0

77

56

72.7%

58

51

87.9%

135

107

79.3%

SATF

35

50.4%

8.4

2,502

1,597

63.8%

628

498

79.3%

3,130

2,095

66.9%

SQ

36
35

58.9%

3.3

1,306
7,358

1,032
5,746

79.0%

2,613
24,841

1,918
16,754

73.4%

5.5

886
11,008

67.8%

51.1%

1,307
17,483

Sub-Total
LEVEL III

60.9%

CCC

Sub-Total
LEVEL II

60.9%

63.0%

78.1%

67.4%

CEN

28

49.1%

2.4

1,969

906

46.0%

529

416

78.6%

2,498

1,322

52.9%

CMF

38

56.1%

6.5

704

483

68.6%

304

240

78.9%

1,008

723

71.7%

COR

32

54.2%

4.7

193

133

68.9%

93

78

83.9%

286

211

73.8%

CTF

27

64.1%

5.1

700

508

72.6%

188

158

84.0%

888

666

75.0%

FOL

28

70.1%

4.9

397

308

77.6%

208

177

85.1%

605

485

80.2%

IONE

33

53.9%

6.5

484

348

71.9%

154

126

81.8%

638

474

74.3%

1,065

788

74.0%

263

168

63.9%

ISP

26

61.2%

7.5

853

611

71.6%

212

177

83.5%

NKP

33

54.4%

4.8

241

150

62.2%

22

18

N/A

PVP

29

59.2%

6.7

1,057

772

73.0%

301

248

82.4%

1,358

1,020

75.1%

RJD

33

51.6%

5.0

745

443

59.5%

246

191

77.6%

991

634

64.0%

WSP

28
30

63.4%

3.9

222
4,884

123
2,380

101
1,930

82.1%

454
10,054

323
6,814

71.1%

5.0

331
7,674

67.1%

56.5%

21

63.6%

81.1%

Recidivism rates were not calculated where less than 30 were
released.

67.8%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 21. Mission and Institution Recidivism Rates by Gender (Continued)
Demographics
Median
Age

High
Risk

Recidivism Rates

Median
LOS
(Months)

First Releases

Re-Releases

Total

Number

Number

Recidivism

Number

Number

Recidivism

Number

Number

Released

Returned

Rate

Released

Returned

Rate

Released

Returned

Rate

624

22.8%

272

185

68.0%

3,014

809

26.8%

Mission

Institution

LEVEL IV

CAL

32

29.0%

1.8

CEN

37

40.0%

24.4

5

3

COR

30

66.2%

5.6

472

330

2,742

N/A
69.9%

0

0

215

177

N/A
82.3%

5

3

687

507

Recidivism

N/A
73.8%

CSP-SAC

32

59.0%

3.7

355

260

73.2%

196

161

82.1%

551

421

76.4%

HDP

29

63.0%

6.7

354

288

81.4%

173

139

80.3%

527

427

81.0%

IONE

33

62.5%

8.4

60

52

86.7%

20

18

N/A

80

70

87.5%

KVSP

30

72.9%

4.1

154

111

72.1%

137

110

80.3%

291

221

75.9%

LAC

33

56.1%

7.9

812

551

67.9%

180

144

80.0%

992

695

70.1%

PSP

34

63.3%

6.6

178

138

77.5%

97

79

81.4%

275

217

78.9%

SATF

30

64.9%

12.5

124

105

84.7%

24

20

SVSP

31
32

61.3%

6.1
2.8

390
2,852

73.6%

48.3%

530
5,786

206
1,520

168
1,201

Sub-Total

49.3%

N/A
81.6%
79.0%

148

125

84.5%

736
7,306

558
4,053

75.8%
55.5%

Reception Center CCI

30

59.6%

3.0

474

339

71.5%

110

90

81.8%

584

429

73.5%

CIM

35

62.4%

2.9

497

298

60.0%

5,597

4,306

76.9%

6,094

4,604

75.5%

DVI

37

65.8%

2.5

244

179

73.4%

3,276

2,566

78.3%

3,520

2,745

78.0%

HDP

35

61.1%

2.7

33

29

87.9%

409

330

80.7%

442

359

81.2%

LAC

31

51.8%

2.6

85

40

47.1%

27

18

N/A

112

58

51.8%

NKP

34

54.1%

2.9

912

557

61.1%

438

337

76.9%

1,350

894

66.2%

PITCH

36

52.4%

3.8

0

0

N/A

2,975

2,232

75.0%

2,975

2,232

75.0%

RIOCC

37

59.7%

6.4

0

0

N/A

422

327

77.5%

422

327

77.5%

RJD

37

58.0%

2.8

236

183

77.5%

1,778

1,394

78.4%

2,014

1,577

78.3%

SQ

36

66.6%

2.6

571

423

74.1%

3,256

2,554

78.4%

3,827

2,977

77.8%

SRITA

36

60.6%

4.1

2

2

N/A

1,238

917

74.1%

1,240

919

74.1%

WSP

33
35

57.8%

2.9

2,140
17,211

77.4%

3,930
26,510

2,938
20,059

74.8%

66.8%

2,723
22,249

78.6%

2.9

798
2,848

66.1%

60.6%

1,207
4,261

63.4%

80.2%

66.7%

Sub-Total
Other Facilities

75.7%

CCF

31

57.2%

4.8

6,352

4,027

1,549

1,242

7,901

5,269

LPU

29

100.0%

24.5

1

0

N/A

0

0

N/A

1

0

LPU18

18

100.0%

7.6

2

2

N/A

0

0

N/A

2

2

RENT1

34

49.5%

3.2

199

113

56.8%

1

0

N/A

200

113

56.5%

N/A
N/A

RENT3

36

49.4%

3.5

318

155

48.7%

0

0

N/A

318

155

48.7%

RENT4

33
32

57.6%

3.2

0
1,550

0
1,242

N/A

203
8,625

131
5,670

64.5%

4.5

131
4,428

64.5%

56.8%

203
7,075

Sub-Total

62.6%

80.1%

65.7%

Female
Camp

CIW
SCC

Sub-Total
Institutions

5.4

166

62

37.3%

0

0

N/A

166

62

37.3%

10.6

47

12

25.5%

0

0

N/A

47

12

25.5%

37

23.5%

6.3

213

74

34.7%

0

0

N/A

213

74

34.7%

CCW

37

29.3%

5.4

2,379

1,209

50.8%

413

310

75.1%

2,792

1,519

54.4%

37

33.7%

3.6

1,028

510

49.6%

1,373

1,004

73.1%

2,401

1,514

63.1%

36

36.9%

4.2

2,097

1,116

53.2%

1,121

839

74.8%

3,218

1,955

60.8%

37

33.5%

4.5

5,504

2,835

51.5%

2,907

2,153

74.1%

8,411

4,988

59.3%

VSP

Reception Center CCW
CIW

36

27.8%

2.3

134

77

57.5%

139

90

64.7%

273

167

61.2%

37

37.2%

5.6

12

11

N/A

340

244

71.8%

352

255

72.4%

47.9%

94

70

74.5%

514

271

52.7%

N/A

32

20

62.5%

32

20

62.5%

CRCW

34

29.8%

6.5

420

201

RIOCC

41

40.6%

7.4

0

0

SRITA

34

42.9%

4.3

0

0

N/A

7

2

7

2

VSP

36

44.4%

2.3

117

72

61.5%

455

315

69.2%

572

387

67.7%

35

36.0%

3.6

683

361

52.9%

1,067

741

69.4%

1,750

1,102

63.0%

Sub-Total

Sub-Total

23.5%
23.4%

CIW
Sub-Total

Other Facilities

36
39

N/A

N/A

CCF

35

30.9%

4.9

309

150

48.5%

8

5

N/A

317

155

48.9%

LPUFP

28

38.6%

12.2

57

24

42.1%

0

0

N/A

57

24

42.1%

LPUPM

29

38.7%

6.9

74

31

41.9%

1

1

N/A

75

32

42.7%

RENT1

39

32.8%

3.4

117

36

30.8%

2

0

N/A

119

36

30.3%

RENT3

37

26.8%

3.5

205

74

36.1%

0

0

N/A

205

74

36.1%

RENT4

37

31.2%

2.7

122

54

44.3%

3

1

N/A

125

55

44.0%

35

31.4%

4.4

884

369

41.7%

14

7

N/A

898

376

41.9%

39

40

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Table 21. Mission and Institution Recidivism Rates by Gender (Continued)
Demographics
Median
Age
Mission

High
Risk

Institution

Recidivism Rates

Median
LOS
(Months)

First Releases

Re-Releases

Total

Number

Number

Recidivism

Number

Number

Recidivism

Number

Number

Recidivism

Released

Returned

Rate

Released

Returned

Rate

Released

Returned

Rate

Under 30
Male
LEVEL I
Sub-Total

CSP-SAC

LEVEL II

CRC

29

100.0%

SATF

32

100.0%

31

100.0%

11.0

35

100.0%

3.0

35

100.0%

Sub-Total
LEVEL IV
Sub-Total

COR

21

0.0%

8.0

1
1

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

1
1

0

N/A

0
0

0

0

0

N/A

10.0

1

1

N/A

0

0

N/A

1

1

N/A

11.0

1
2

1

N/A

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

1
2

1

2

0
0

2

N/A

1
1

0

N/A

N/A

N/A

N/A

0

N/A

1
1

0

0

0
0

0

3.0

0

N/A
60.2%

Reception Center CCI

32

39.8%

14.0

88

53

60.2%

0

0

N/A

88

53

CIM

40

40.0%

24.0

5

4

N/A

0

0

N/A

5

4

N/A

DVI

33

34.1%

20.0

44

27

61.4%

0

0

N/A

44

27

61.4%

HDP

51

50.0%

9.0

2

2

N/A

0

0

N/A

2

2

N/A

LAC

31

59.1%

8.0

22

11

N/A

0

0

N/A

22

11

N/A
60.5%

NKP

33

33.3%

15.0

162

98

60.5%

0

0

N/A

162

98

RJD

32

38.5%

13.0

13

11

N/A

0

0

N/A

13

11

N/A

SQ

30

62.1%

18.0

57

39

68.4%

1

1

N/A

58

40

69.0%

SRITA

51

100.0%

27.0

0

0

N/A

1

1

N/A

1

1

WSP

30

39.9%

17.0

131

67.9%

N/A

67.9%

16.0

376

64.2%

2

N/A

193
588

131

40.6%

0
2

0

32

193
586

378

64.3%

Sub-Total

N/A

Female
Institutions

CCW

40

0.0%

12.0

2

2

N/A

0

0

N/A

2

2

N/A

CIW

33

22.2%

12.0

9

5

N/A

0

0

N/A

9

5

N/A

VSP

25

0.0%

27.0

1

N/A

N/A

N/A

17.0

8

N/A

0

N/A

3
14

1

14.3%

0
0

0

35

3
14

8

N/A
56.2%

Sub-Total
Reception Center CCW

37

12.3%

13.0

73

41

56.2%

0

0

N/A

73

41

CIW

35

0.0%

10.0

5

3

N/A

1

1

N/A

6

4

N/A

VSP

34

18.9%

20.0

25

67.6%

N/A

67.6%

13.8%

15.0

69

60.0%

1

N/A

37
116

25

36

0
1

0

Sub-Total

37
115

70

60.3%

Grand Total

34

58.2%

4.3

64,728

39,281

60.7%

43,934

34,069

77.5%

108,662

73,350

67.5%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report

41

October 2010

11 Conclusion
Recidivism rates are key indicators of correctional performance
that are impacted by all aspects of the correctional system. This
report provides a glimpse into many of these factors. It is
intended to provide a baseline from which to measure future
performance and evaluate the impact of CDCR rehabilitative
programs, policies and practices.
As illustrated in Figure 20, almost half of the inmates released in
FY 2005-06 returned to prison for a parole violation within the
three-year follow-up period. Additionally, almost 20 percent
returned to prison after being convicted of a new crime. Although
most inmates released from CDCR in FY 2005-06 recidivate and
return to prison, it is important to recognize that one-third of these
releases remain in the community. This finding provides hope that
successful reintegration of offenders into the community, which is
part of CDCR’s mission, is possible.
Figure 20. Three-year outcomes for inmates released from all
CDCR adult institutions in FY 2005-06.

Other Crimes
3%

Parole Violations
47%

Drug Crimes
6%
Property Crimes
8%
Crimes Against
Persons
3%

Successful
Three Years Out
33%

Almost 50% of the
inmates released
during FY 2005-06
returned for parole
violations.

Approximately
one-third of
inmates released
in FY 2005-06
were not returned
to the CDCR within
the three-year
follow-up period.

42

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Appendix A
One, Two and Three-Year Recidivism Rates for
Arrests, Convictions, and Returns to Prison for Felons 22
Released Between FYs 2002-03 and 2007-08 23,24
Presented in the three figures and tables below are recidivism rates for up to six
years for felons released from CDCR by arrests, convictions and returns to
prison. Shown first are the one-year recidivism rates for all felon releases from
FY 2002-03 through FY 2007-08. This figure provides the longest period of time
where data are available. While one year of follow-up is the shortest time frame
presented, it is a good indicator of recidivism (as indicated previously in this
report) since almost 75 percent of felons who recidivate do so within the first year
of release. To provide as complete a picture as possible, these one-year rates
are followed two and three-year recidivism rates.
One-Year Recidivism Rates by FY
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%
50%

55.5%
48.0%

56.3%

57.6%

58.8%

58.0%

49.1%

47.4%

45.9%

46.5%

21.6%

22.6%

22.1%

22.0%

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

2006-07

57.0%
47.5%

40%
30%
20%

19.7%

20.8%

10%
0%
2002-03

Arrests

22

23

24

Convictions

2007-08

Returns to Prison

Rates for “Arrests” and “Convictions” only include those felons where an automated criminal
history record was available from the Department of Justice. These records are necessary to
measure recidivism by arrest and conviction. Total numbers released for these measures are
therefore smaller than those used to compute “Returns to Prison”.
FYs that do not yet have enough follow-up time to capture recidivism behavior are denoted as
“N/A.”
The data contained in these charts and tables were extracted in April, 2010 to minimize the
effects of the time lag in data entry into state systems.

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Two-Year Recidivism Rates by FY
100%
90%
80%
70%
60%

69.8%

70.3%

71.3%

71.8%

61.0%

59.8%

61.3%

62.5%

38.0%

38.6%

38.3%

2004-05

2005-06

70.9%

59.2%

50%
40%

36.3%

38.2%

30%
20%
10%
0%
2002-03

2003-04
Arrests

Convictions

2006-07

Returns to Prison

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by FY
100%
90%
80%
70%

77.0%

77.2%

66.8%

67.5%

48.5%

49.2%

48.7%

2003-04

2004-05

2005-06

76.2%

76.4%

66.2%

65.6%

47.7%

2002-03

60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%

Arrests

Convictions

Returns to Prison

Rates for “Arrests” and “Convictions” only include those felons where an automated criminal
history record was available from the Department of Justice. These records are necessary
to measure recidivism by arrest and conviction. Total numbers released for these measures
are therefore smaller than those used to compute “Returns to Prison”.

43

44

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Arrests

One Year
Fiscal Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08

Number
Released
99,482
99,635
103,647
105,974
112,563
113,637

Number
Arrested
55,204
56,127
59,703
62,331
65,308
64,721

Two Years

Recidivism
Rate
55.5%
56.3%
57.6%
58.8%
58.0%
57.0%

Number
Arrested
69,449
70,070
73,881
76,079
79,766
N/A

Recidivism
Rate
69.8%
70.3%
71.3%
71.8%
70.9%
N/A

Three Years
Number
Arrested
75,765
76,135
79,819
81,786
N/A
N/A

Recidivism
Rate
76.2%
76.4%
77.0%
77.2%
N/A
N/A

Convictions

One Year
Fiscal Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08

Number
Released
99,482
99,635
103,647
105,974
112,563
113,637

Number
Convicted
19,643
21,509
23,464
23,428
24,712
23,617

Recidivism
Rate
19.7%
21.6%
22.6%
22.1%
22.0%
20.8%

Two Years
Number
Convicted
36,087
37,881
40,022
40,635
42,960
N/A

Recidivism
Rate
36.3%
38.0%
38.6%
38.3%
38.2%
N/A

Three Years
Number
Convicted
47,443
48,350
51,026
51,650
N/A
N/A

Recidivism
Rate
47.7%
48.5%
49.2%
48.7%
N/A
N/A

Returns to Prison

One Year
Fiscal Year
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08

Number
Released
103,934
103,296
106,920
108,662
116,082
116,063

Number
Returned
49,924
47,423
49,761
53,330
55,069
55,075

Recidivism
Rate
48.0%
45.9%
46.5%
49.1%
47.4%
47.5%

Two Years
Number
Returned
63,415
61,788
65,559
67,958
68,666
N/A

Recidivism
Rate
61.0%
59.8%
61.3%
62.5%
59.2%
N/A

Three Years
Number
Returned
68,810
67,734
71,444
73,350
N/A
N/A

Recidivism
Rate
66.2%
65.6%
66.8%
67.5%
N/A
N/A

Rates for “Arrests” and “Convictions” only include those felons where an automated criminal history record
was available from the Department of Justice. These records are necessary to measure recidivism by arrest
and conviction. Total numbers released for these measures are therefore smaller than those used to compute
“Returns to Prison”.

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Appendix B
Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Characteristics
Felons Released During FY 2005-06

Offender Characteristics

TOTAL
NUMBER
RELEASED

TOTAL RECIDIVATED
WITHIN
One Year

N

Two Years

Rate

N

Three Years

Rate

N

Rate

Sex
Male
Female
Total

97,259
11,403
108,662

48,919
4,411
53,330

50.3%
38.7%
49.1%

61,989
5,969
67,958

63.7%
52.3%
62.5%

66,731
6,619
73,350

68.6%
58.0%
67.5%

Age at Parole
18-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60 and over
Total

684
15,544
21,038
17,279
17,795
16,208
11,204
5,573
2,179
1,158
108,662

386
8,640
10,487
8,240
8,821
7,856
5,239
2,415
867
379
53,330

56.4%
55.6%
49.8%
47.7%
49.6%
48.5%
46.8%
43.3%
39.8%
32.7%
49.1%

471
10,802
13,423
10,531
11,250
10,090
6,713
3,093
1,101
484
67,958

68.9%
69.5%
63.8%
60.9%
63.2%
62.3%
59.9%
55.5%
50.5%
41.8%
62.5%

508
11,488
14,463
11,382
12,182
10,926
7,298
3,366
1,201
536
73,350

74.3%
73.9%
68.7%
65.9%
68.5%
67.4%
65.1%
60.4%
55.1%
46.3%
67.5%

Ethnicity
White
Hispanic/Latino
Black/African-American
Asian
Native American/Alaska Native
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
Others
Total

35,609
39,901
28,585
735
1,027
135
2,670
108,662

18,490
17,508
15,303
315
588
51
1,075
53,330

51.9%
43.9%
53.5%
42.9%
57.3%
37.8%
40.3%
49.1%

23,142
22,734
19,461
398
724
66
1,433
67,958

65.0%
57.0%
68.1%
54.1%
70.5%
48.9%
53.7%
62.5%

24,793
24,634
21,069
439
766
79
1,570
73,350

69.6%
61.7%
73.7%
59.7%
74.6%
58.5%
58.8%
67.5%

Commitment Offense
Crime Against Persons
Property Crime
Drug Crime
Other Crime
Total

24,920
36,753
34,789
12,200
108,662

11,400
19,749
16,517
5,664
53,330

45.7%
53.7%
47.5%
46.4%
49.1%

14,797
24,679
21,123
7,359
67,958

59.4%
67.1%
60.7%
60.3%
62.5%

16,091
26,424
22,794
8,041
73,350

64.6%
71.9%
65.5%
65.9%
67.5%

Sex Offender
Yes
No
Total

7,011
101,651
108,662

3,262
50,068
53,330

46.5%
49.3%
49.1%

4,156
63,802
67,958

59.3%
62.8%
62.5%

4,527
68,823
73,350

64.6%
67.7%
67.5%

Serious/Violent Offender
Yes
No
Total

22,335
86,327
108,662

9,701
43,629
53,330

43.4%
50.5%
49.1%

12,788
55,170
67,958

57.3%
63.9%
62.5%

14,002
59,348
73,350

62.7%
68.7%
67.5%

4,893

3,015

61.6%

3,607

73.7%

3,799

77.6%

10,117
36
93,609
7
108,662

5,714
20
44,579
2
53,330

56.5%
55.6%
47.6%
N/A
49.1%

7,049
23
57,276
3
67,958

69.7%
63.9%
61.2%
N/A
62.5%

7,521
25
62,002
3
73,350

74.3%
69.4%
66.2%
N/A
67.5%

Mental Health
Enhanced Outpatient Program
Correctional Clinical Case
Management System
Crisis Bed
No Mental Health Code
Department Mental Health
Total

45

46

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Characteristics
Felons Released During FY 2005-06 (continued)

Offender Characteristics

TOTAL
NUMBER
RELEASED

TOTAL RECIDIVATED
WITHIN
One Year

N

Two Years

Rate

N

Three Years

Rate

N

Rate

Length of Stay
0 - 6 months
7 - 12 months
13 - 18 months
19 - 24 months
2 - 3 years
3 - 4 years
4 - 5 years
5 - 10 years
10 - 15 years
15 + years
Total

11,609
31,474
18,805
13,630
15,126
6,944
3,859
6,237
814
164
108,662

5,030
14,653
9,801
7,284
8,025
3,620
1,826
2,717
337
37
53,330

43.3%
46.6%
52.1%
53.4%
53.1%
52.1%
47.3%
43.6%
41.4%
22.6%
49.1%

6,752
19,148
12,350
9,118
9,865
4,435
2,308
3,499
431
52
67,958

58.2%
60.8%
65.7%
66.9%
65.2%
63.9%
59.8%
56.1%
52.9%
31.7%
62.5%

7,324
20,782
13,210
9,743
10,593
4,775
2,522
3,867
472
62
73,350

63.1%
66.0%
70.2%
71.5%
70.0%
68.8%
65.4%
62.0%
58.0%
37.8%
67.5%

CDCR Incarcerations
1 stay
2 stays
3 stays
4 stays
5 stays
6 stays
7 stays
8 stays
9 stays
10 stays
11 stays
12 stays
13 stays
14 stays
15 + stays
Total

31,257
16,974
11,810
8,805
7,183
6,016
5,017
4,042
3,437
2,806
2,283
1,920
1,520
1,250
4,342
108,662

10,299
8,013
6,002
4,674
3,882
3,288
2,954
2,453
2,147
1,784
1,494
1,297
1,028
868
3,147
53,330

32.9%
47.2%
50.8%
53.1%
54.0%
54.7%
58.9%
60.7%
62.5%
63.6%
65.4%
67.6%
67.6%
69.4%
72.5%
49.1%

14,301
10,433
7,720
5,908
4,861
4,130
3,623
3,024
2,644
2,146
1,780
1,538
1,222
1,030
3,598
67,958

45.8%
61.5%
65.4%
67.1%
67.7%
68.7%
72.2%
74.8%
76.9%
76.5%
78.0%
80.1%
80.4%
82.4%
82.9%
62.5%

15,969
11,262
8,314
6,351
5,230
4,454
3,872
3,211
2,804
2,276
1,889
1,606
1,287
1,080
3,745
73,350

51.1%
66.3%
70.4%
72.1%
72.8%
74.0%
77.2%
79.4%
81.6%
81.1%
82.7%
83.6%
84.7%
86.4%
86.3%
67.5%

1,167
5,013
13,233
33,917
53,330

43.8%
28.3%
42.7%
59.2%
49.1%

1,461
7,048
17,617
41,832
67,958

54.8%
39.7%
56.8%
73.0%
62.5%

1,583
7,975
19,265
44,527
73,350

59.4%
45.0%
62.2%
77.7%
67.5%

Risk Score Level
N/A
Low
Medium
High
Total

2,665
17,733
30,994
57,270
108,662

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Characteristics
Felons Released During FY 2005-06
by Type of Release

First Releases

Offender Characteristics

TOTAL RECIDIVATED
TOTAL
IN THREE YEARS
NUMBER
RELEASED
N
Rate

One Year

N

Rate

Two Years

N

Rate

Re-Releases
Three Years

N

Rate

One Year

N

Rate

Two Years

Three Years

N

N

Rate

Rate

Sex
Male
Female
Total

97,259 66,731
11,403
6,619
108,662 73,350

68.6%
58.0%
67.5%

23,903
2,240
26,143

41.7% 32,245
30.2% 3,246
40.4% 35,491

56.3% 35,564
43.8% 3,717
54.8% 39,281

62.1% 25,016
50.1% 2,171
60.7% 27,187

62.6% 29,744 74.5% 31,167
54.4% 2,723 68.3% 2,902
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

78.0%
72.8%
77.5%

Age at Parole
18-19
20-24
25-29
30-34
35-39
40-44
45-49
50-54
55-59
60 and over
Total

684
15,544
21,038
17,279
17,795
16,208
11,204
5,573
2,179
1,158
108,662

508
11,488
14,463
11,382
12,182
10,926
7,298
3,366
1,201
536
73,350

74.3%
73.9%
68.7%
65.9%
68.5%
67.4%
65.1%
60.4%
55.1%
46.3%
67.5%

356
5,531
5,318
3,901
3,971
3,344
2,186
1,018
367
151
26,143

55.6%
437
50.4% 7,085
41.9% 7,190
37.9% 5,384
39.3% 5,501
37.9% 4,693
35.7% 3,061
33.1% 1,402
28.9%
512
20.8%
226
40.4% 35,491

68.3%
473
64.5% 7,633
56.6% 7,931
52.2% 5,984
54.5% 6,125
53.2% 5,253
50.0% 3,451
45.6% 1,581
40.3%
583
31.1%
267
54.8% 39,281

73.9%
30
69.5% 3,109
62.5% 5,169
58.1% 4,339
60.6% 4,850
59.6% 4,512
56.4% 3,053
51.5% 1,397
45.9%
500
36.7%
228
60.7% 27,187

68.2%
34
68.1% 3,717
62.0% 6,233
62.2% 5,147
63.0% 5,749
61.1% 5,397
60.1% 3,652
55.9% 1,691
55.0%
589
52.9%
258
61.9% 32,467

77.3%
35
81.4% 3,855
74.7% 6,532
73.8% 5,398
74.7% 6,057
73.1% 5,673
71.8% 3,847
67.6% 1,785
64.8%
618
59.9%
269
73.9% 34,069

79.5%
84.4%
78.3%
77.4%
78.7%
76.8%
75.7%
71.4%
68.0%
62.4%
77.5%

Ethnicity
White
35,609
Hispanic/Latino
39,901
Black/African-American
28,585
Asian
735
Native American/Alaska Native
1,027
Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander
135
Others
2,670
Total
108,662

24,793
24,634
21,069
439
766
79
1,570
73,350

69.6%
61.7%
73.7%
59.7%
74.6%
58.5%
58.8%
67.5%

8,617
9,332
7,178
164
248
22
582
26,143

43.0% 11,475
35.5% 12,835
46.3% 9,757
34.4%
217
48.4%
337
24.7%
34
32.0%
836
40.4% 35,491

57.2%
48.9%
62.9%
45.5%
65.8%
38.2%
46.0%
54.8%

12,617
14,252
10,819
245
360
46
942
39,281

62.9% 9,873
54.3% 8,176
69.7% 8,125
51.4%
151
70.3%
340
51.7%
29
51.9%
493
60.7% 27,187

63.4% 11,667 75.0% 12,176
60.0% 9,899 72.6% 10,382
62.2% 9,704 74.3% 10,250
58.5%
181 70.2%
194
66.0%
387 75.1%
406
63.0%
32 69.6%
33
57.7%
597 69.9%
628
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

78.2%
76.2%
78.4%
75.2%
78.8%
71.7%
73.5%
77.5%

Commitment Offense
Crime Against Persons
Property Crime
Drug Crime
Other Crime
Total

24,920
36,753
34,789
12,200
108,662

16,091
26,424
22,794
8,041
73,350

64.6%
71.9%
65.5%
65.9%
67.5%

5,009
10,118
8,133
2,883
26,143

35.5% 7,141
45.7% 13,317
38.6% 11,089
38.9% 3,944
40.4% 35,491

50.7% 8,042
60.1% 14,576
52.6% 12,219
53.2% 4,444
54.8% 39,281

57.0% 6,391
65.8% 9,631
58.0% 8,384
59.9% 2,781
60.7% 27,187

59.1% 7,656 70.7% 8,049
65.9% 11,362 77.8% 11,848
61.1% 10,034 73.1% 10,575
58.2% 3,415 71.4% 3,597
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

74.4%
81.1%
77.1%
75.2%
77.5%

Sex Offender
Yes
No
Total

7,011
101,651
108,662

4,527
68,823
73,350

64.6%
67.7%
67.5%

1,422
24,721
26,143

35.9% 1,954
40.7% 33,537
40.4% 35,491

49.4% 2,219
55.2% 37,062
54.8% 39,281

56.0% 1,840
61.0% 25,347
60.7% 27,187

60.3% 2,202 72.1% 2,308
62.0% 30,265 74.0% 31,761
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

75.6%
77.7%
77.5%

Serious/Violent Offender
Yes
No
Total

22,335
86,327
108,662

14,002
59,348
73,350

62.7%
68.7%
67.5%

4,363
21,780
26,143

33.3% 6,341
42.2% 29,150
40.4% 35,491

48.4% 7,211
56.5% 32,070
54.8% 39,281

55.0% 5,338
62.1% 21,849
60.7% 27,187

57.9% 6,447 69.9% 6,791
62.9% 26,020 75.0% 27,278
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

73.6%
78.6%
77.5%

4,893

3,799

77.6%

1,168

54.9%

69.7%

74.9%

66.8%

2,206

79.8%

10,117
36
93,609
7
108,662

7,521
25
62,002
3
73,350

74.3%
69.4%
66.2%
N/A
67.5%

2,222
1
22,751
1
26,143

65.2% 4,061 75.9% 4,220
61.3%
22 71.0%
23
61.0% 26,260 73.4% 27,619
N/A
1
N/A
1
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

78.8%
74.2%
77.2%
N/A
77.5%

Mental Health
Enhanced Outpatient Program
Correctional Clinical Case
Management System
Crisis Bed
No Mental Health Code
Department Mental Health
Total

1,484

46.6% 2,988
N/A
1
39.3% 31,016
N/A
2
40.4% 35,491

1,593

62.7% 3,301
N/A
2
53.6% 34,383
N/A
2
54.8% 39,281

1,847

69.3% 3,492
N/A
19
59.5% 21,828
N/A
1
60.7% 27,187

2,123 76.8%

47

48

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Characteristics
Felons Released During FY 2005-06
by Type of Release (continued)

First Releases

Offender Characteristics

TOTAL RECIDIVATED
TOTAL
IN THREE YEARS
NUMBER
RELEASED
N
Rate

One Year

N

Rate

Two Years

N

Rate

Re-Releases
Three Years

N

Rate

One Year

N

Rate

Two Years

Three Years

N

N

Rate

Rate

Length of Stay
0 - 6 months
7 - 12 months
13 - 18 months
19 - 24 months
2 - 3 years
3 - 4 years
4 - 5 years
5 - 10 years
10 - 15 years
15 + years
Total

11,609
31,474
18,805
13,630
15,126
6,944
3,859
6,237
814
164
108,662

7,324
20,782
13,210
9,743
10,593
4,775
2,522
3,867
472
62
73,350

63.1%
66.0%
70.2%
71.5%
70.0%
68.8%
65.4%
62.0%
58.0%
37.8%
67.5%

3,960
10,546
4,495
2,600
2,134
821
570
872
129
16
26,143

40.9% 5,385
42.8% 14,055
43.6% 5,929
41.0% 3,562
37.0% 3,007
33.7% 1,169
31.4%
854
27.5% 1,312
27.6%
192
14.3%
26
40.4% 35,491

55.5% 5,889
57.1% 15,427
57.5% 6,503
56.2% 3,943
52.2% 3,381
48.0% 1,342
47.1%
978
41.4% 1,563
41.1%
220
23.2%
35
54.8% 39,281

60.7% 1,070
62.7% 4,107
63.1% 5,306
62.2% 4,684
58.6% 5,891
55.1% 2,799
53.9% 1,256
49.3% 1,845
47.1%
208
31.3%
21
60.7% 27,187

55.9% 1,367
59.9% 5,093
62.5% 6,421
64.2% 5,556
62.9% 6,858
62.1% 3,266
61.4% 1,454
60.2% 2,187
59.9%
239
40.4%
26
61.9% 32,467

71.4% 1,435
74.3% 5,355
75.6% 6,707
76.2% 5,800
73.3% 7,212
72.4% 3,433
71.1% 1,544
71.3% 2,304
68.9%
252
50.0%
27
73.9% 34,069

74.9%
78.1%
79.0%
79.6%
77.0%
76.2%
75.5%
75.1%
72.6%
51.9%
77.5%

CDCR Incarcerations
1 stay
2 stays
3 stays
4 stays
5 stays
6 stays
7 stays
8 stays
9 stays
10 stays
11 stays
12 stays
13 stays
14 stays
15 + stays
Total

31,257
16,974
11,810
8,805
7,183
6,016
5,017
4,042
3,437
2,806
2,283
1,920
1,520
1,250
4,342
108,662

15,969
11,262
8,314
6,351
5,230
4,454
3,872
3,211
2,804
2,276
1,889
1,606
1,287
1,080
3,745
73,350

51.1%
66.3%
70.4%
72.1%
72.8%
74.0%
77.2%
79.4%
81.6%
81.1%
82.7%
83.6%
84.7%
86.4%
86.3%
67.5%

10,299
2,998
2,088
1,677
1,504
1,294
1,164
952
871
686
525
464
348
294
979
26,143

32.9% 14,301
37.4% 4,132
40.7% 2,916
43.9% 2,323
47.1% 2,048
48.4% 1,759
53.0% 1,518
55.2% 1,255
57.5% 1,144
58.7%
871
58.7%
675
63.5%
580
64.4%
435
63.5%
371
70.1% 1,163
40.4% 35,491

45.8% 15,969
51.6% 4,642
56.8% 3,276
60.8% 2,580
64.1% 2,260
65.7% 1,930
69.1% 1,653
72.7% 1,368
75.5% 1,237
74.5%
933
75.4%
733
79.3%
614
80.6%
462
80.1%
396
83.2% 1,228
54.8% 39,281

51.1%
0
57.9% 5,015
63.8% 3,914
67.5% 2,997
70.7% 2,378
72.1% 1,994
75.2% 1,790
79.3% 1,501
81.6% 1,276
79.8% 1,098
81.9%
969
84.0%
833
85.6%
680
85.5%
574
87.9% 2,168
60.7% 27,187

N/A
0
56.0% 6,301
58.6% 4,804
60.1% 3,585
59.6% 2,813
59.7% 2,371
63.5% 2,105
64.8% 1,769
66.4% 1,500
67.1% 1,275
69.8% 1,105
70.1%
958
69.4%
787
72.9%
659
73.6% 2,435
61.9% 32,467

N/A
0
70.3% 6,620
71.9% 5,038
71.9% 3,771
70.5% 2,970
71.0% 2,524
74.6% 2,219
76.4% 1,843
78.1% 1,567
77.9% 1,343
79.6% 1,156
80.6%
992
80.3%
825
83.7%
684
82.7% 2,517
73.9% 34,069

N/A
73.9%
75.4%
75.7%
74.5%
75.6%
78.7%
79.6%
81.6%
82.0%
83.3%
83.4%
84.2%
86.9%
85.5%
77.5%

2,665
17,733
30,994
57,270
108,662

1,583
7,975
19,265
44,527
73,350

59.4%
45.0%
62.2%
77.7%
67.5%

453
2,722
7,135
15,833
26,143

31.7%
612
21.1% 4,172
35.1% 10,154
52.7% 20,553
40.4% 35,491

42.8%
694
32.3% 4,902
49.9% 11,385
68.4% 22,300
54.8% 39,281

48.5%
714
38.0% 2,291
56.0% 6,098
74.2% 18,084
60.7% 27,187

57.9%
849 68.8%
889
47.5% 2,876 59.6% 3,073
57.2% 7,463 70.0% 7,880
66.4% 21,279 78.2% 22,227
61.9% 32,467 73.9% 34,069

72.0%
63.7%
74.0%
81.6%
77.5%

Risk Score Level
N/A
Low
Medium
High
Total

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Commitment Offense
Felons Released During FY 2005-06
by Type of Release
Re-Releases

First Releases

COMMITMENT OFFENSE

TOTAL RECIDIVATED
TOTAL
IN THREE YEARS
NUMBER
RELEASED

Murder First (old law)
4
Murder First (new law)
5
Murder Second (old law)
1
Murder Second (new law)
29
Manslaughter
476
Vehicular Manslaughter
215
Robbery
4,844
Assault/Deadly Weapon
5,331
Attempted Murder First
14
Attempted Murder Second
286
Other Assault/Battery
8,902
Rape
378
Lewd Act With Child
1,745
Oral Copulation
182
Sodomy
41
Sexual Penetration with Object
108
Other Sex Offense
2,142
Kidnapping
217
Burglary First
3,479
Burglary Second
6,968
Grand Theft
3,380
Petty Theft With Prior
6,347
Receiving Stolen Property
4,788
Vehicle Theft
7,291
Forgery/Fraud
3,544
Other Property Offense
956
CS Possession
18,358
CS Possession for Sale
9,774
CS Sales
3,082
CS Manufacturing
1,133
Other CS Offense
722
Hashish Possession
51
Marijuana Possession for Sale
1,038
Marijuana Sale
488
Marijuana Other
143
Escape/Abscond
174
Driving Under Influence
2,381
Arson
320
Possession Weapon
5,532
Other Offenses
3,793
Total
108,662

N
-

4
244
86
3,158
3,426
4
136
6,186
188
806
99
25
58
1,565
106
2,388
5,032
2,232
4,674
3,606
5,617
2,237
638
13,327
5,524
1,918
512
508
38
615
274
78
132
1,213
191
3,929
2,576
73,350

Rate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
51.3%
40.0%
65.2%
64.3%
N/A
47.6%
69.5%
49.7%
46.2%
54.4%
61.0%
53.7%
73.1%
48.8%
68.6%
72.2%
66.0%
73.6%
75.3%
77.0%
63.1%
66.7%
72.6%
56.5%
62.2%
45.2%
70.4%
74.5%
59.2%
56.1%
54.5%
75.9%
50.9%
59.7%
71.0%
67.9%
67.5%

One Year

N
0
0
0
2
71
22
915
1,084
2
32
1,987
56
239
26
9
12
527
25
733
1,873
779
1,664
1,478
2,539
799
253
4,725
2,066
685
138
180
13
223
88
15
41
347
55
1,604
836
26,143

Two Years

Rate
N
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
2
24.2%
105
13.1%
41
33.9% 1,401
35.7% 1,538
N/A
2
17.0%
56
40.9% 2,762
24.3%
77
20.8%
370
27.7%
35
N/A
12
16.4%
25
48.2%
669
18.2%
46
37.6% 1,053
44.8% 2,502
38.0% 1,081
46.0% 2,240
51.4% 1,867
55.2% 3,146
34.8% 1,107
43.2%
321
46.1% 6,339
31.0% 2,901
35.3%
941
18.7%
200
44.6%
229
43.3%
16
33.3%
310
29.0%
132
19.7%
21
47.7%
57
21.5%
533
32.5%
78
46.6% 2,127
39.8% 1,149
40.4% 35,491

Three Years

Rate
N
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
3
35.8%
124
24.4%
52
51.9% 1,583
50.6% 1,761
N/A
2
29.8%
70
56.8% 3,059
33.5%
88
32.1%
432
37.2%
39
N/A
13
34.2%
30
61.2%
731
33.6%
55
54.1% 1,176
59.9% 2,768
52.8% 1,185
62.0% 2,465
65.0% 2,014
68.4% 3,372
48.2% 1,243
54.9%
353
61.8% 6,906
43.6% 3,246
48.6% 1,042
27.1%
230
56.7%
259
53.3%
19
46.3%
347
43.6%
145
27.6%
25
66.3%
64
33.0%
664
46.2%
85
61.8% 2,362
54.6% 1,269
54.8% 39,281

One Year

Two Years

Rate
N
Rate
N
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
1
N/A
1
42.3%
91 49.7%
114
31.0%
25 53.2%
33
58.7% 1,245 58.0% 1,496
57.9% 1,285 56.1% 1,564
N/A
1
N/A
2
37.2%
48 49.0%
62
62.9% 2,517 62.3% 2,981
38.3%
75 50.7%
95
37.5%
303 51.0%
355
41.5%
49 55.7%
57
N/A
10
N/A
12
41.1%
23 65.7%
26
66.9%
683 65.1%
812
40.1%
35 43.8%
46
60.4%
986 64.4% 1,161
66.2% 1,814 65.1% 2,174
57.8%
832 62.5% 1,000
68.2% 1,797 65.8% 2,122
70.1% 1,311 68.5% 1,519
73.4% 1,880 69.8% 2,165
54.1%
790 63.4%
950
60.3%
221 59.6%
271
67.4% 5,151 63.5% 6,103
48.8% 1,758 56.4% 2,164
53.8%
698 61.0%
826
31.1%
217 55.1%
261
64.1%
212 66.7%
244
63.3%
10
N/A
19
51.9%
208 56.4%
251
47.9%
97 52.4%
115
32.9%
33 49.3%
51
74.4%
57 64.8%
65
41.1%
421 55.1%
514
50.3%
87 57.6%
102
68.6% 1,189 56.9% 1,489
60.3% 1,027 60.8% 1,245
60.7% 27,187 61.9% 32,467

Three Years

Rate
N
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
0
N/A
1
62.3%
120
70.2%
34
69.7% 1,575
68.2% 1,665
N/A
2
63.3%
66
73.8% 3,127
64.2%
100
59.8%
374
64.8%
60
N/A
12
74.3%
28
77.4%
834
57.5%
51
75.8% 1,212
78.0% 2,264
75.1% 1,047
77.7% 2,209
79.4% 1,592
80.4% 2,245
76.2%
994
73.0%
285
75.3% 6,421
69.4% 2,278
72.2%
876
66.2%
282
76.7%
249
N/A
19
68.0%
268
62.2%
129
76.1%
53
73.9%
68
67.3%
549
67.5%
106
71.3% 1,567
73.7% 1,307
73.9% 34,069

Rate
N/A
N/A
N/A
N/A
65.6%
72.3%
73.4%
72.6%
N/A
67.3%
77.4%
67.6%
63.0%
68.2%
N/A
80.0%
79.5%
63.8%
79.1%
81.2%
78.7%
80.9%
83.2%
83.3%
79.8%
76.8%
79.2%
73.1%
76.6%
71.6%
78.3%
N/A
72.6%
69.7%
79.1%
77.3%
71.9%
70.2%
75.0%
77.3%
77.5%

49

50

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Parole County 25
Felons Released During FY 2005-06
by Type of Release

County of Parole
Alameda
Amador
Apline
Butte
Calaveras
Colusa
Contra Costa
Del Norte
El Dorado
Fresno
Glenn
Humboldt
Imperial
Inyo
Kern
King
Lake
Lassen
Los Angeles
Madera
Marin
Mariposa
Mendocino
Merced
Modoc
Mono
Monterey
Napa
Nevada
Orange
Placer
Plumas
Riverside
Sacramento
San Benito
San Bernardino
San Diego
San Francisco
San Joaquin
San Luis Obispo
San Mateo
Santa Barbara
Santa Clara
Santa Cruz

25

TOTAL
NUMBER TOTAL RECIDIVATED
PAROLED
N
Rate

5,044
54
2
929
54
36
1,556
81
254
4,319
98
586
354
34
3,830
738
271
92
28,319
574
65
43
300
767
31
23
1,071
158
83
8,036
507
44
6,640
5,626
50
8,928
7,130
1,635
2,526
764
1,072
848
3,521
389

3,266
31
2
632
37
25
1,171
56
185
3,402
65
442
288
21
2,746
563
186
65
16,744
450
43
25
215
581
19
15
793
102
51
4,784
375
22
4,855
3,523
37
6,642
5,309
1,281
1,997
459
764
615
2,478
284

64.8%
57.4%
N/A
68.0%
68.5%
69.4%
75.3%
69.1%
72.8%
78.8%
66.3%
75.4%
81.4%
61.8%
71.7%
76.3%
68.6%
70.7%
59.1%
78.4%
66.2%
58.1%
71.7%
75.7%
61.3%
N/A
74.0%
64.6%
61.4%
59.5%
74.0%
50.0%
73.1%
62.6%
74.0%
74.4%
74.5%
78.3%
79.1%
60.1%
71.3%
72.5%
70.4%
73.0%

First Releases
One Year

Two Years

N
Rate
N
987 36.8% 1,313
12 30.0%
18
0
N/A
0
210 41.7%
274
21 44.7%
28
13
N/A
17
286 48.4%
365
25 53.2%
29
70 50.0%
95
1,027 53.2% 1,332
25 41.0%
33
141 47.5%
185
94 63.1%
108
10
N/A
11
876 42.4% 1,210
155 43.3%
221
64 44.1%
81
22 45.8%
29
6,820 32.3% 10,083
158 53.2%
201
14 40.0%
18
11
N/A
15
69 47.6%
89
224 51.5%
285
8
N/A
9
5
N/A
5
241 47.7%
315
50 47.6%
60
16 38.1%
22
1,905 34.2% 2,590
133 46.3%
179
9
N/A
13
1,987 47.9% 2,562
1,209 36.4% 1,552
14 45.2%
21
2,550 48.6% 3,297
1,852 47.0% 2,484
283 52.8%
366
690 58.7%
844
168 35.1%
230
264 46.8%
345
259 45.9%
350
714 39.3% 1,020
90 48.4%
121

Re-Releases
Three Years

Rate
N
48.9% 1,445
45.0%
20
N/A
0
54.4%
306
59.6%
31
N/A
18
61.8%
401
61.7%
31
67.9%
102
69.0% 1,429
54.1%
35
62.3%
199
72.5%
116
N/A
13
58.6% 1,325
61.7%
242
55.9%
86
60.4%
33
47.8% 11,509
67.7%
215
51.4%
18
N/A
15
61.4%
95
65.5%
302
N/A
9
N/A
5
62.4%
346
57.1%
63
52.4%
25
46.5% 2,863
62.4%
184
N/A
13
61.8% 2,809
46.8% 1,694
67.7%
22
62.9% 3,595
63.0% 2,728
68.3%
389
71.8%
883
48.1%
263
61.2%
377
62.1%
383
56.2% 1,191
65.1%
130

Rate
53.8%
50.0%
N/A
60.7%
66.0%
N/A
67.9%
66.0%
72.9%
74.0%
57.4%
67.0%
77.9%
N/A
64.2%
67.6%
59.3%
68.8%
54.6%
72.4%
51.4%
N/A
65.5%
69.4%
N/A
N/A
68.5%
60.0%
59.5%
51.4%
64.1%
N/A
67.8%
51.1%
71.0%
68.5%
69.2%
72.6%
75.1%
55.0%
66.8%
67.9%
65.6%
69.9%

One Year

N
Rate
1,515 64.2%
8
N/A
1
N/A
271 63.8%
5
N/A
7
N/A
647 67.0%
22 64.7%
62 54.4%
1,607 67.3%
23 62.2%
216 74.7%
140 68.3%
3
N/A
1,103 62.5%
270 71.1%
78 61.9%
29 65.9%
3,707 51.3%
203 73.3%
18 60.0%
9
N/A
100 64.5%
232 69.9%
8
N/A
7
N/A
364 64.3%
32 60.4%
23 56.1%
1,530 62.1%
162 73.6%
8
N/A
1,646 65.9%
1,541 66.8%
13
N/A
2,506 68.0%
2,147 67.4%
762 69.3%
967 71.6%
150 52.4%
305 60.0%
198 69.7%
1,032 60.5%
125 61.6%

Two Years

N
1,750
11
2
312
6
7
747
25
78
1,893
29
237
163
8
1,349
309
98
31
4,852
231
24
10
116
266
10
9
433
37
24
1,832
182
8
1,960
1,764
15
2,915
2,490
864
1,092
187
368
227
1,233
149

Rate
74.2%
N/A
N/A
73.4%
N/A
N/A
77.4%
73.5%
68.4%
79.3%
78.4%
82.0%
79.5%
N/A
76.4%
81.3%
77.8%
70.5%
67.1%
83.4%
80.0%
N/A
74.8%
80.1%
N/A
N/A
76.5%
69.8%
58.5%
74.4%
82.7%
N/A
78.5%
76.4%
N/A
79.1%
78.2%
78.6%
80.8%
65.4%
72.4%
79.9%
72.3%
73.4%

Direct discharges are not included since these individuals do not have a parole county.

Three Years

N
1,821
11
2
326
6
7
770
25
83
1,973
30
243
172
8
1,421
321
100
32
5,235
235
25
10
120
279
10
10
447
39
26
1,921
191
9
2,046
1,829
15
3,047
2,581
892
1,114
196
387
232
1,287
154

Rate
77.2%
N/A
N/A
76.7%
N/A
N/A
79.8%
73.5%
72.8%
82.6%
81.1%
84.1%
83.9%
N/A
80.5%
84.5%
79.4%
72.7%
72.4%
84.8%
83.3%
N/A
77.4%
84.0%
N/A
N/A
79.0%
73.6%
63.4%
78.0%
86.8%
N/A
82.0%
79.2%
N/A
82.7%
81.0%
81.2%
82.5%
68.5%
76.2%
81.7%
75.4%
75.9%

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010
25

Three-Year Recidivism Rates by Offender Parole County
Felons Released During FY 2005-06
by Type of Release (continued)

County of Parole
Shatsta
Sierra
Siskiyou
Solano
Sonoma
Stanislaus
Sutter
Tehama
Trinity
Tulare
Tuolumne
Ventura
Yolo
Yuba
Total

TOTAL
NUMBER TOTAL RECIDIVATED
PAROLED
N
Rate

1,016
4
115
1,506
783
1,487
418
299
48
1,400
60
1,487
644
420
107,169

732
3
88
1,163
560
1,143
282
203
32
1,018
38
1,111
500
306
72,825

72.0%
N/A
76.5%
77.2%
71.5%
76.9%
67.5%
67.9%
66.7%
72.7%
63.3%
74.7%
77.6%
72.9%
68.0%

First Releases
One Year

Two Years

N
Rate
N
222 42.9%
300
2
N/A
3
23 42.6%
35
363 53.5%
461
165 42.6%
217
422 53.6%
520
92 41.8%
113
64 35.4%
90
8
N/A
11
341 45.8%
455
22 43.1%
29
355 46.6%
483
177 54.1%
214
102 50.0%
129
26,139 40.4% 35,485

Re-Releases
Three Years

Rate
N
57.9%
328
N/A
3
64.8%
39
68.0%
489
56.1%
238
66.0%
558
51.4%
126
49.7%
99
N/A
12
61.2%
497
56.9%
31
63.5%
532
65.4%
230
63.2%
134
54.9% 39,274

One Year

Two Years

Rate
N
Rate
N
63.3%
326 65.5%
387
N/A
0
N/A
0
72.2%
40 65.6%
48
72.1%
545 65.8%
650
61.5%
268 67.7%
308
70.8%
486 69.5%
568
57.3%
137 69.2%
149
54.7%
86 72.9%
102
N/A
18
N/A
20
66.8%
426 64.9%
504
60.8%
5
N/A
7
69.9%
478 65.8%
549
70.3%
231 72.9%
261
65.7%
144 66.7%
166
60.7% 26,992 63.5% 32,072

________________________
25

Three Years

Rate
N
77.7%
404
N/A
0
78.7%
49
78.5%
674
77.8%
322
81.3%
585
75.3%
156
86.4%
104
N/A
20
76.8%
521
N/A
7
75.6%
579
82.3%
270
76.9%
172
75.5% 33,551

Direct discharges are not included since these individuals do not have a parole county.

Rate
81.1%
N/A
80.3%
81.4%
81.3%
83.7%
78.8%
88.1%
N/A
79.4%
N/A
79.8%
85.2%
79.6%
79.0%

51

52

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010
Current Term Commitment Offense by New Term Commitment Offense for
Felon Sex Offenders and All Other Felon Offenders
Released During FY 2005-06

Commitment Offense
Sex Offenders
Crime Against Persons
Property Crimes
Drug Crimes
Other Crimes
Total

Commitment Offense
All Other Offenders
Crime Against Persons
Property Crimes
Drug Crimes
Other Crimes
Total

Total
Released

4,650
873
989
499
7,011

Total
Released

20,270
35,880
33,800
11,701
101,651

Returned with a New Conviction
Total
Drug Crime
Recidivated Crime Against Persons Property Crime
N
%
N
%
N
%
2,705
701
738
383
4,527

171
42
49
31
293

6.3
6.0
6.6
8.1
6.5

42
39
25
15
121

1.6
5.6
3.4
3.9
2.7

54
21
51
16
142

2.0
3.0
6.9
4.2
3.1

Returned with a New Conviction
Total
Drug Crime
Recidivated Crime Against Persons Property Crime
N
%
N
%
N
%
13,386
25,723
22,056
7,658
68,823

1,074
1,027
766
425
3,292

8.0
4.0
3.5
5.5
4.8

833
5,077
1,650
483
8,043

6.2
19.7
7.5
6.3
11.7

1,009
2,127
4,082
619
7,837

7.5
8.3
18.5
8.1
11.4

Other Crime
N
%

Parole Violation
Returned to
Custody
N
%

32
16
12
17
77

2,406
583
601
304
3,894

1.2
2.3
1.6
4.4
1.7

Other Crime
N
%
582
704
634
715
2,635

4.3
2.7
2.9
9.3
3.8

88.9
83.2
81.4
79.4
86.0

Parole Violation
Returned to
Custody
N
%
9,888
16,788
14,924
5,416
47,016

73.9
65.3
67.7
70.7
68.3

Current Term Commitment Offense by New Term Commitment Offense for
Felon Serious/Violent Offenders and All Other Felon Offenders
Released During FY 2005-06

Parole Offense
Serious/Violent Offenders
Crime Against Persons
Property Crimes
Drug Crimes
Other Crimes
Total

Parole Offense
All Other Offenders
Crime Against Persons
Property Crimes
Drug Crimes
Other Crimes
Total

Total
Paroled

14,564
4,304
962
2,505
22,335

Total
Paroled

10,356
32,449
33,827
9,695
86,327

Returned with a New Conviction
Total
Recidivated Crime Against Persons Property Crime
Drug Crime
N
%
N
%
N
%
8,778
2,962
607
1,655
14,002

628
149
33
84
894

7.2
5.0
5.4
5.1
6.4

475
421
49
91
1,036

5.4
14.2
8.1
5.5
7.4

641
241
76
109
1,067

7.3
8.1
12.5
6.6
7.6

Returned with a New Conviction
Total
Recidivated Crime Against Persons Property Crime
Drug Crime
N
%
N
%
N
%
7,313
23,462
22,187
6,386
59,348

617
920
782
372
2,691

8.4
3.9
3.5
5.8
4.5

400
4,695
1,626
407
7,128

5.5
20.0
7.3
6.4
12.0

422
1,907
4,057
526
6,912

5.8
8.1
18.3
8.2
11.6

Other Crime
N
%
343
103
31
90
567

3.9
3.5
5.1
5.4
4.0

Other Crime
N
%
271
617
615
642
2,145

3.7
2.6
2.8
10.1
3.6

Parole Violation
Returned to
Custody
N
%
6,691
2,048
418
1,281
10,438

76.2
69.1
68.9
77.4
74.5

Parole Violation
Returned to
Custody
N
%
5,603
15,323
15,107
4,439
40,472

76.6
65.3
68.1
69.5
68.2

2010 CDCR Adult Institutions Outcome Evaluation Report
October 2010

Flagged Sex Offenders Released During FY 2005-06 for
Either a Sex Offense or a Nonsex Offense
Who Returned to Prison
by Type of Release

First-Release Returns
Number
Percent

Re-Release Returns
Number
Percent

Total Returns
Number
Percent

Released for a sex offense
Returned with a new sex conviction
Returned with a new non-sex conviction
Returned for a parole violation
Total

52
42
985
1,079

4.8%
3.9%
91.3%
100%

61
68
880
1,009

6.0%
6.7%
87.2%
100%

113
110
1,865
2,088

5.4%
5.3%
89.3%
100%

Released for a non-sex offense
Returned with a new sex conviction
Returned with a new non-sex conviction
Returned for a parole violation
Total

41
137
962
1,140

3.6%
12.0%
84.4%
100%

74
158
1,067
1,299

5.7%
12.2%
82.1%
100%

115
295
2,029
2,439

4.7%
12.1%
83.2%
100%

53

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
Office of Research, Adult Research Branch
On the World Wide Web at:

http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/adult_research_branch