Legal Definitions - Recidivist

A recidivist is an individual who repeatedly commits criminal offenses, especially after having been convicted, punished, or received intervention for previous crimes. It describes a pattern of returning to criminal behavior despite prior legal consequences.

• For instance, imagine Mark was convicted of shoplifting and served a short jail sentence. Within six months of his release, Mark is arrested again for attempting to steal merchandise from a different store.

  This scenario illustrates a recidivist because Mark has re-offended with a similar crime shortly after being punished for a previous one, demonstrating a pattern of returning to criminal behavior despite prior legal intervention.

• Consider Sarah, who was convicted of driving under the influence (DUI) five years ago. She completed her court-mandated alcohol education program and paid her fines. Recently, she was pulled over and charged with another DUI.

  Sarah is considered a recidivist because, despite having faced legal consequences and undergone rehabilitation for a previous offense, she has committed the same type of crime again, indicating a failure to desist from criminal conduct.