Which U.S. State Has the Lowest Recidivism Rate?
The primary mandate of prisons is to reform people who commit crimes. That’s why each state examines its recidivism rate so closely. Recidivism is the direct reflection of whether or not the state’s prisons and jails are effectively rehabilitating offenders.
Virginia and South Carolina are currently tied for having the lowest recidivism rates in the country. What are they doing differently? What policies have they implemented that can be tied to reducing their recidivism rates? And how might other states model their policies on what worked in Virginia and South Carolina?
What is Recidivism?
What is recidivism? The National Institute of Justice defines recidivism, a core criminal justice concern, as follows:1
“Recidivism is measured by criminal acts that resulted in rearrest, re-conviction or return to prison with or without a new sentence during a three-year period following the person’s release.”
Simply, to ‘recidivate’ means to return to previous behavior, in this case, to return to criminal behavior. Criminal justice systems are most effective when they produce formerly incarcerated persons who do not return to crime. Such systems are ineffective when people commit a crime, go through the criminal justice system and a prison sentence, are released, and then return to crime and lawlessness.
Two states, Virginia and South Carolina, have produced documentation in recent years showing they’ve achieved impressively low recidivism rates that are well below the national average. How did they do it?2
Virginia’s Approach to Reducing Recidivism
According to the Virginia Department of Corrections 2022 report, the three-year recidivism rate in that state is 23.1%, similar to South Carolina’s low recidivism rate. (Each year, Virginia and South Carolina report slightly different recidivism rates. In recent years, Texas and Oregon have also been contenders for the lowest recidivism rate in the nation. However, Virginia and South Carolina have consistently produced the lowest recidivism rates, earning them the title of the nation’s lowest ongoing recidivism rates).3
Image courtesy of news.va.gov
States which effectively reduce their recidivism should be able to show how they did it. Virginia’s Department of Corrections put out this statement in its 2022 State Recidivism Comparison Report: “Virginia’s low rate is attributable to the effective re-entry and educational programming and treatment offered by the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC) during an inmate’s incarceration and its effective supervision in the community after release. The VADOC tailors its programming and supervision to address each inmate’s criminogenic risk and needs.” VADOC’s report further expanded on how recidivism rates decline when inmates’ criminogenic risks and needs are placed at the forefront of reform efforts.
A 2023 report by VADOC dug even deeper into the state’s recidivism success, publishing another reduction in recidivism in the Old Dominion State. According to that report, Virginia’s recidivism rate is now at 20.6%, an almost 3% drop from 2022 and the seventh year in a row Virginia has produced the nation’s lowest or second lowest recidivism rate.4
“Virginia continues to be a leader in corrections. We strive for long-lasting public safety focusing on implementing effective programs and re-entry services, evidence-based practices, maintaining secure facilities, and providing effective supervision of probationers and parolees in the community.”
The #1 question on everyone’s minds is how Virginia produced such an effective criminal justice program. “Virginia continues to be a leader in corrections. We strive for long-lasting public safety focusing on implementing effective programs and re-entry services, evidence-based practices, maintaining secure facilities, and providing effective supervision of probationers and parolees in the community,” says VADOC Director Harold Clarke. “We owe a debt of gratitude for the tireless efforts of our staff and collaborators, who are working to improve our system.” Virginia’s commitment to one-on-one, offender-focused, and evidence-based reform programs, plus aftercare support, is what the state can attribute its low recidivism to.
South Carolina’s Policies for Reducing Recidivism and What Other States Can Do to Reduce Recidivism
According to the South Carolina Department of Corrections, the three-year recidivism rate in that state was 23.1% in 2020 and 21.9% in 2021, now tied with Virginia for the lowest recidivism rate in the country. State officials like South Carolina Department of Corrections Director Bryan Stirling attribute the decline in recidivism to the Palmetto State’s efforts to provide housing assistance, employment opportunities, and other support services to incarcerated people preparing to transition out of prison.5
Some of the programs that both Virginia and South Carolina utilize to reduce recidivism include:
- Employment opportunities
- Housing assistance for formerly incarcerated persons
- Support services tailored to meet former offenders’ needs
- Effective supervision of probationers and parolees in the community
- Safe prison communities where offenders will not experience further harm
- Drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs for offenders with substance abuse disorders
- Vocational programs for those who could benefit from training for gainful employment/trade skills
- Life skills, therapy, and coping strategies so offenders can get to the root of why they committed crimes
Finally, states should also invest heavily in implementing education programs inside prisons. Offenders must have the tools they need to understand why they committed crimes in the first place. Educational tools can help them identify the root problem that led to criminal behavior.
Sources Cited:
- NIJ. “Recidivism.” National Institute of Justice, 2023. nij.ojp.gov
- WPR. “Recidivism Rates by State 2023.” World Population Review, 2023. worldpopulationreview.com
- VADOC. “State Recidivism Comparison.” Virginia Department of Corrections, 2022. vadoc.virginia.gov
- VADOC. “Virginia’s Recidivism Rate Remains Among Nation’s Lowest.” Virginia Department of Corrections, 2022. vadoc.virginia.gov
- ABC. “SCDC director: South Carolina has lowest recidivism rate in U.S.” ABC News, 2021. abcnews4.com
