The most cited US figures come from the Bureau of Justice Statistics. Of people released from state prisons in 34 states in 2012, 62 percent were arrested again within three years and 71 percent within five years. Rates of return to prison are lower, because an arrest is not a conviction.
How recidivism is measured matters. Some studies count any new arrest, others count convictions, and many count returns to prison for technical parole violations like a missed appointment. Heavier policing in Black neighborhoods also raises the chance of re-arrest.
High recidivism is less a sign of individual failure than of a system that releases people with few resources. Criminal records block jobs, housing and public benefits. Programs that provide education, housing and employment support after release have been shown to lower rates of return.