Exploring reconvictions and ‘crime-free’ gaps over time: What were the experience of one cohort of English probationers?

Abstract

Many, but not all, reconviction studies are undertaken over relatively short periods of time (such as 2 or 5 years) and are usually used to gauge the impact of various disposals against one another. This study, based on one cohort of probationers who started being supervised in England during 1997–1998, takes a different tack, and explores their reconvictions between 1997 and 2022, a period of 25 years, and touches upon a range of topics germane to this field, such as: how many reconvictions were racked up?, who was reconvicted?, which offences were they convicted of? and what accounts for their reconvictions? The second half of the article focuses on the issue of ‘crime-free gaps’ and provides further insight into this recent development in criminal careers research and in so doing builds upon an earlier article by Joanna Shapland.