News

If you just got out of prison, chances are you’re going back — and soon — according to a recent study by the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics.

The study — which analyzed recidivism rates of prisoners released in 30 states between 2005 and 2010 — found that about two-thirds of people released from state prisons are arrested for a new crime within three years. Seventy-five percent of those released from prison are arrested again within five years of their release.

More than a third of the prisoners arrested within five years of their release were picked up within the first six months after their release, according to the study.

Those imprisoned for committing property offenses were most likely to reoffend, according to the study, with 82.1 percent arrested again within five years of their release. For violent offenders, that number dropped to 71.3 percent. Older prisoners are also less likely to reoffend, the study found, as 69.2 percent of prisoners who were 40 or older were arrested again within five years of their release as opposed to 84.1 percent of inmates who were 24 or younger at the time of their release.