54,660 Arizona inmates released over the period 1990-1999 were followed for return to ADC custody.

16.2% returned to custody with a new felony conviction within 2 years of release.

24.5% returned to custody with a new felony conviction within 3 years of release.

Inmates who participated in work and other rehabilitation programs during the period of incarceration were identified and recidivism rates were compared between those who participated and those who did not.

For program participants, reductions in recidivism were observed only during the first two years after release.

The 2-year recidivism rate for program participants was lower (15.8%) than for non-participants (16.8%).

However, participants were observed to be 13% higher in their risk of recidivism than non-participants based on their ages, criminal histories, drug use histories, etc., so the risk of recidivism was controlled for in making comparisons of recidivism rates between participants and non-participants.

The 2-year recidivism rate for participants was reduced from 21.1% to 15.8% or by 25.0% due to participation.

2,171 fewer inmates were recommitted within 2 years due to their program participation.

The recidivism rate reduction was highest (34.0%) for those who participated in prison industry (ACI) work programs, including, among others, furniture manufacture (53.4% reduction) and sign manufacture (55.6% reduction).

Lesser but still substantial reductions in recidivism occurred for substance abuse programs (28.0%), non-industry in-prison work programs (27.9%), vocational education (27.7%), and academic education (17.2%).

A higher level of inmate program involvement correlates with a greater reduction in recidivism. High program involvement will reduce recidivism by 35% or more.

The effectiveness of academic education increases with the level of education attained, i.e., college and other post secondary education is more effective (31.0% reduction) than GED programming (19.1% reduction), which, in turn, is more effective than adult basic education/mandatory literacy (12.4% reduction). Those who followed through and obtained a GED while in prison had a greater reduction in recidivism (23.6%) than those who did not complete the program (17.4% reduction).

For the treatment of drug abuse, alcohol and narcotics anonymous (47.1% reduction) and therapeutic community programming (27.3% reduction) were more effective than substance abuse education (21.9% reduction).

Rehabilitation program effectiveness is hampered by a lack of time in prison, i.e., under one year served.

Successful completion of the Sex Offender Treatment Program (SOTP) was found to dramatically reduce recidivism among sex offenders.