Despite major increases in state spending on corrections, recidivism rates were largely unchanged nationwide between 1999 and 204, a new study by the Pew Center on the States says: More than four in 10 offenders returned to prison within three years of release.
The rate varies significantly among states, however, ranging from 61.2 percent in Minnesota to 22.8 percent in Oregon. Oregon led the nation in reducing the rate of return to prison by nearly 32 percent between 1999 and 2004.
Connecticut’s rate remained essentially unchanged during that period, and stood at 43.7 percent in 2004–mirroring the rate nationwide. Cutting its recidivism rate by 10 percent could save Connecticut more than $20 million a year, the report says.