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Criminal Law & Justice vocabulary · Prisons, Probation & Parole

Reoffend

Meaning in criminal law & justice, with examples

/ˌriːəˈfend/verbCommon term

In criminal law & justice, reoffend means: To commit another crime after being punished for an earlier one.

In Turkish: yeniden suç işlemek, suçu tekrarlamak

How it is used

A key word in prison, probation and policy reports: 'reduce reoffending', 'the reoffending rate', 'likely to reoffend'. Judges and probation officers assess 'the risk of reoffending'. The more formal noun is 'recidivism', common in American and academic texts.

Example sentences

  1. Education in prison helps reduce reoffending.

  2. The report found that young men are the group most likely to reoffend.

  3. If he reoffends, he will go back to prison.

Common collocations

  • reduce reoffending
  • reoffending rate
  • risk of reoffending
  • likely to reoffend
  • offenderA person who has committed a crime, especially one who has been convicted; the word is common in sentencing, prisons and probation.
  • rehabilitationThe process of helping an offender change their behaviour and return to a normal life without committing more crimes.
  • probationA sentence or period in which an offender lives in the community instead of prison but must follow rules and meet regularly with a probation officer.
  • criminal recordAn official list of the crimes a person has been convicted of, which employers or authorities may check in some situations.

More terms: Prisons, Probation & Parole

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This page explains English vocabulary for learners. It is not legal advice.