Why we break the law and relapse: Exploring the societal factor-recidivism nexus among selected inmates in a custodial center

Abstract

ABSTRACT Despite consistent literature supporting recidivism, data-based studies that explore the societal factor-recidivism nexus are essentially of Western sources, so only little empirical evidence linking the two variables exists in Nigeria. A cross-section of 38 recidivists were recruited using purposive and snowballing techniques. Thematic method was used to analyze the interview data. Different predictive variables were found, showing their areas of convergence and divergence, in recidivism causation. While lower class, poverty, sociocultural exclusion, inequality, discrimination, and stigmatization accounted for the leading causes, unemployment was not acknowledged as a main and/or direct predictor. The problem has severely impacted prison reforms, criminal justice administration, and norm validation that are aimed at (re)socialization of people within and outside the correctional institutions. Conducting in-depth oral interviews with offenders presents diverse practical pathways toward understanding the dynamics of offending and offenders, as well as missing links in the existing policy, research, and practice with a view to strengthening the evidence base and establishing what works in the real world. Gaining firsthand knowledge and insider information from the recidivists themselves will add to the global call for synergy and mutual reinforcement in both State and community-based policing, justice, and corrections for better performance outcomes.