Committee reviews simpler statutory definition of ‘recidivism’ and new annual justice reports

The House Corrections and Institutions Committee reviewed a strike‑all amendment to H.410 on March 12 that would move the statutory definition of “recidivism” from Title 28 into a new chapter in Title 13 (Crimes and Criminal Procedure), adopt a simpler definition tied to convictions, and require a set of annual criminal‑justice reports funded by a FY27 appropriation.

Michelle Child of the Office of Legislative Council presented the amendment, saying the change is intended to make the statutory definition easier to use and to consolidate related study and data‑collection statutes in one place. Child summarized the proposed definition: “recidivism means a relapse into criminal activity as evidenced by an individual who was convicted for a criminal offense after receiving a criminal conviction for a previous crime.” She said the date used to mark a recidivism event would be the arraignment date for the subsequent offense so agencies can calculate rates using court record dates that are readily available.

The committee pressed on the boundary cases. Members asked whether technical violations of release conditions—such as missing a curfew—count as recidivism. Child and other participants clarified that, under the proposed language, recidivism for the annual report is limited to individuals who…