Across the U.S.
50 states. Different definitions. One word: recidivism.
Every state is represented in the selected CSG comparison used by this explorer.
The selected state figures fall into thirteen different measurement categories on this page.
The figures do not come from one uniform release year. Cohort age is part of the comparison.
The page keeps the CSG reporting period visible instead of presenting every state figure as a 2026 cohort.
Before you compare two states
Read what sits underneath the percentage.
Two states can publish similar percentages while measuring different events. Two states can also publish very different percentages while using different populations, time periods, or definitions.
The definition tells you what the rate actually means.
What event counts?
Return to state prison? Arrest? Reconviction? A new felony? A jail return? A supervision outcome?
Who is in the cohort?
A state prison release cohort, a broader jail population, people under supervision, or another defined population?
How long are they followed?
Most entries in this comparison use a three year window, while some states use a different follow up period.
How old is the cohort?
The latest data available for one state may represent people released several years earlier than another state's cohort.
National data laboratory
Explore all 50 states.
Select a state to see the rate used in the comparison, release cohort, follow up period, population, qualifying event, technical violation treatment, and methodology note.
The colors show what each selected state measure counts. They do not show which state is “best.” A state counting new arrests is not measuring the same outcome as a state counting only a return to prison. Use the map to find the definition first, then compare rates only where the underlying measures are reasonably aligned.
Side by side
Compare the measurement first.
Choose any two states. The comparison below places the rate beside the cohort, follow up period, population, and event that actually generated it.
Arkansas in context
What does Arkansas's 45% actually mean?
In this comparison, Arkansas uses the 2019 release cohort and a three year state prison return measure. The selected measure counts reincarceration in state prison for any reason.
The same word • different measures
“Recidivism” can describe very different events.
How current is “latest”?
The states are not all built from the same release year.
The state entries used in this comparison span release cohorts from 2016 through 2022. That means the phrase “latest available” does not describe the same calendar year in every state.
Read before ranking
A lower number does not automatically mean a better system.
A state that counts only reincarceration for a new felony is measuring something narrower than a state that counts arrests, jail returns, supervision outcomes, or every return to state prison. Population, cohort year, correctional policy, and follow up period can also affect what appears in the rate.
Arkansas Restorative Initiative
The number is the beginning of the question.
Before using a recidivism percentage to compare states, evaluate policy, or describe correctional outcomes, ask what population was measured, what event counted, how long people were followed, and when the cohort actually left custody.
Who Is Qualified to Decide Parole?
Select a state to compare parole board qualifications, required professional backgrounds, hearing practices, and the biggest difference from Arkansas.
Click a state. Use Enter or Space with a keyboard.
Comparison framework current through July 2025