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SD 3377

DOC One-Year Recidivism Rates of Men and Women Released 2017-2022

194th Legislature (2025-2026)

Massachusetts DOC must report one-year recidivism rates by gender for 2017-2022 releases to evaluate rehabilitation effectiveness and inform criminal justice policy.

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Bill Summary · SD 3377

Legislative bill overview

SD 3377 requires the Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) to compile and publicly report one-year recidivism rates for individuals released between 2017-2022, broken down by gender. The bill mandates this data be organized by release cohort and made available to the legislature and public within a specified timeframe.

Why is this important

Recidivism data is critical for evaluating criminal justice program effectiveness, informing rehabilitation policy, and assessing whether the corrections system is successfully reducing reoffending. Gender-disaggregated data can reveal whether men and women have different reoffending patterns, potentially indicating different rehabilitation needs or program effectiveness by gender. This transparency allows lawmakers and advocates to make evidence-based decisions about DOC funding, programs, and policy reforms.

Potential points of contention

  • Data collection burden: The DOC may argue that compiling historical data from 2017-2022 requires substantial resources and staff time, potentially diverting resources from other operations
  • Definition ambiguity: The bill may lack clarity on what constitutes "recidivism" (re-arrest, reconviction, re-incarceration) and whether it tracks only Massachusetts incidents or includes out-of-state offenses
  • Privacy concerns: Releasing gender-specific recidivism data could raise questions about how granularly data is broken down and whether it could identify or inadvertently stigmatize particular groups

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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