Recidivism of Paroled Murderers as a Factor in the Utility of Life Imprisonment

Abstract

When a convicted murderer violently re-offends after being released, a prominent media profile results, intense fear is engendered within the community and it generates vigorous commentary, usually and understandably critical of the offender. On the other hand, there is evidence that most murders are opportunistic and singular. In this article Australian and international recidivism literature is synthesised in the specific context of murderers released to parole. This recidivism data is then analysed and evaluated as a factor in the utility of life sentences as a punishment for murder. A comprehensive synthesis, analysis and evaluation of the literature reveals that a moderately small percentage of paroled murderers recidivate by committing a violent offence and even fewer kill again. As recidivism is of significant weight in the measure of the success or otherwise of sentencing and corrections, it is contended that life imprisonment when it means indefinite incarceration without the opportunity for parole is of limited, if any, utility for most convicted murderers and for the community from which they have been excluded.

Keywords: Homicide, life imprisonment, parole, recidivism, sentencing

JEL Classification: K14