This article was written by Robert Weisberg, a law professor at Stanford University. It was published in the Southern California Law Review, a legal journal, in 2014. Weisberg describes the purpose of the article as the "elusive phenomenon called recidivism." Recidivism, in common usage, refers to the phenomenon of released prison inmates committing crimes again after their release. Weisberg, using the example of California (whose criminal justice system was identified as having the highest recidivism rate in the nation), shows that the phenomenon is more complex than that. It is very difficult to measure, which means it is very difficult to assess which measures can be taken to reduce recidivism rates. Weisberg is also skeptical of the attention given to the issue, which eclipses first-time offenses in terms of importance. He finishes the essay by raising problems related to the very act of defining recidivism. In summary, he says that the purpose of his essay is not to offer solutions, but rather to urge policymakers and scholars to exercise self-criticism when it comes to conceptualizing and offering solutions for recidivism. He also urges modesty in approaching possible solutions to the problem of recidivism. In particular, he emphasizes that any measures of reducing recidivism have to be mitigated by the fact that many people become less likely to commit crimes as they get older. As a result, we should be skeptical of any claims that long-term programs dramatically reduce recidivism.
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