Counting Recidivism, and Achieving Sentencing Goals: A comparative study of the Canadian and Australian criminal justice systems with policy reform recommendations
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2021-09-21
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Abstract
When comparing recidivism rates between Canada (23.4%) and Australia (54.9%), Canada comes across as faring well above Australia in rehabilitation and deterring crime. This leads to the question, is Canada counting recidivism in a way that allows us to achieve our policy goals? Through a literature review, data is compiled on what recidivism data measures, sentencing, and rehabilitation programs – education and employment, all in relation to their impact on recidivism. The purpose of this paper is not only to compare Canadian and Australian measures of recidivism, but the countries’ criminal justice policies. In this sense it is a comparative study of the downstream effects of different approaches to measuring recidivism, sentencing and rehabilitation. The rate of recidivism, which is often referred to as the rate of return, is merely the count of how many individuals continue to commit crime after their initial offence. It is difficult to study recidivism comparatively due to the various nuances when measuring and counting recidivism across jurisdictions. This report will look at methods to count recidivism, sentencing, and rehabilitation programs.
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Gouchie, N. (2021). Counting Recidivism, and Achieving Sentencing Goals: A comparative study of the Canadian and Australian criminal justice systems with policy reform recommendations (Unpublished master's project). University of Calgary, Calgary, AB.