Abstract
According to (Walmsley, 2016: 2), Kenya is ranking high in the rates of prison overcrowding owing to continued relapse into crime by the ex-offenders. The total prison population in Kenya, comprising pre-trial inmates and remand prisoners, was 57 000 as of August 2016 (Walmsley, 2016: 2). Kenya has one hundred and eight prison institutions with a design capacity of 26 757 prisoners. This translates to an occupancy level of 213 percent, which is one of the highest in the world and confirms the fact that there is overcrowding in Kenyan prisons. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics Report (Republic of Kenya, 2017: 272), repeat offenders accounted for 25,8 percent of the Kenyan prison population. In direct correlation with this high level of confinement, the country annually also discharges some 255 000 convicted and non-convicted inmates back into various communities across the country. This pattern indicates that offenders do not leave criminality and yet government resources are continuously being spent in trying to reform convicted offenders. This study sought to investigate the relationship between offender characteristics and recidivism in Kakamega County, Kenya. Specifically, the influence of gender, age at the time of imprisonment, educational level, employment status, accommodation, romantic relationships, children, peer relationships, prior criminal records, criminal record and alcohol consumption on recidivism were interrogated. The study adopted a survey research design in which 384 recidivists were sampled to take part in the study as respondents. Besides the recidivist, 25 Prison Officers,13 Probation Officers, 27 family members of recidivists, and 18 community members from the neighbourhoods of recidivists bringing the target sample to 467 respondents. Both probabilistic and non-probabilistic sampling techniques were used in sample selection. Data from respondents was collected using a questionnaire that was tested for validity and reliability prior to the actual data collection. Factor analysis was used to ascertain validity while Cronbach’s Alpha coefficient of reliability was used to ascertain reliability of the questionnaire. Findings revealed a significant relationship between individual characteristics and recidivism among released prisoners in Kakamega County (r=0.669; P< 0.01). Regression analysis revealed that offender characteristics were significant predictors of recidivism with an R squared value of 0.237 implying that offender characteristics account for 23.7% of the variance in recidivism among sampled offenders. From the study, it is recommended that treatment plans drawn by correctional officers should take into account the individual characteristics of released offenders since there is a strong association between individual characteristics of offenders and recidivism. Key Words: Offender Characteristics, Recidivism DOI: 10.7176/PPAR/12-1-06 Publication date: February 28 th 2022
Highlights
Statistics throughout the globe suggest that most prisoners coming out of prison are likely to be re-sentenced within three years of their release. (Freeman, 2003: 2) avers that almost 80 percent of prisoners are likely to be rearrested within a decade of being free. (Hassin, 1989: 46) in his study suggest that rearrests around the world may occur within the first year of release if no support is given to the offender
In 1983, a survey published by the Bureau of Justice Statistics, which included a sampling of more than 16 000 inmates released from 11 States, comprising around 57 percent of all State prisoners released in the United States of America during that year, it was observed that the rate of recidivism for criminals with some college education was 30.4 percent relative with 40.9 percent of recidivism of offenders with some college education
1.8 Findings Study data relating to individual characteristics and recidivism are subjected to the Pearson Product Moment
Summary
Statistics throughout the globe suggest that most prisoners coming out of prison are likely to be re-sentenced within three years of their release. (Freeman, 2003: 2) avers that almost 80 percent of prisoners are likely to be rearrested within a decade of being free. (Hassin, 1989: 46) in his study suggest that rearrests around the world may occur within the first year of release if no support is given to the offender. (Hassin, 1989: 46) in his study suggest that rearrests around the world may occur within the first year of release if no support is given to the offender. In England and Wales (LeBel, Burnett, Maruna & Bushway, 2008: 132) announced that 67 percent of male prisoners released from jail were arrested within two years of 2002. Within two years, 64 percent of female prisoners discharged in England and Wales reoffended. Released prisoners in Kenya have a seventy-five percent likelihood of committing another crime and a fifty percent probability of going to jail two years after their discharge from prison custody (Oruta, Omosa & Lumumba, 2017: 101), which compounds the high prison population problem and overcrowding. The incredibly high recidivism rate has enormous costs of public safety and money spent on prosecuting, charging and incarcerating re-offenders
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
