Recidivism Rates: What They Mean for Addiction Treatment

Key Takeaways

• Approximately 77% of drug offenders released from state prison are rearrested within five years, according to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS, 2018).
• Drug court programs reduce recidivism by an average of 8-14 percentage points compared to traditional criminal justice processing, per a meta-analysis published in Justice Quarterly (Mitchell et al., 2012).
• New Jersey’s drug court system reports a 65% program completion rate, with graduates showing a 16% three-year recidivism rate compared to 54% for similar non-drug court defendants (NJ Administrative Office of the Courts, 2023).
• Prison-based treatment (RSAT programs) reduces post-release recidivism by approximately 15-20% when followed by community-based aftercare, according to the National Institute of Justice (NIJ, 2019).
• Co-occurring mental health disorders increase recidivism risk by approximately 30-40%, and integrated dual-diagnosis treatment significantly reduces reoffending (Baillargeon et al., Psychiatric Services, 2009).

Statistics updated quarterly. Last reviewed March 28, 2026.

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Recidivism, the return to criminal behavior after release from incarceration, is deeply intertwined with substance use disorders. The majority of individuals in the US criminal justice system have a substance use condition, and untreated addiction is one of the strongest predictors of reoffending. This page examines what recidivism data reveals about the intersection of addiction and the justice system, how treatment-based approaches compare to punitive ones, and how New Jersey’s drug court and diversion programs perform.

What Recidivism Rates Are and Why They Matter

Defining Recidivism in the Context of Addiction

Recidivism is typically measured as rearrest, reconviction, or reincarceration following release from a prior sentence. In the context of addiction, recidivism data is relevant because:

• An estimated 65% of the US prison population meets clinical criteria for a substance use disorder, according to the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (CASA) at Columbia University (2010).
• Approximately 85% of incarcerated individuals have a history of substance abuse or were under the influence of a substance at the time of their offense, per CASA (2010).
• Drug offenses account for approximately 45% of federal prison sentences and a significant share of state sentences (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2022).

Recidivism rates among drug offenders serve as a measure of how effectively (or ineffectively) the criminal justice system addresses the underlying substance use conditions that drive criminal behavior.

How Recidivism Is Measured

The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) uses three primary measures:

• Rearrest: Any arrest following release, regardless of conviction. This is the broadest measure and produces the highest rates.
• Reconviction: A new conviction following release. This is a narrower measure.
• Reincarceration: Return to prison, either for a new sentence or a technical parole/probation violation.

These different measures produce different rates. A person who is rearrested but not convicted is counted in rearrest data but not reconviction data. Technical violations (e.g., failing a drug test while on parole) inflate reincarceration numbers beyond what new criminal conduct alone would produce.

Recidivism Rates for Drug Offenders

National Data on Drug Offense Recidivism

The BJS Special Report on Recidivism (2018), based on a 30-state sample of individuals released from prison in 2005, provides the most comprehensive national recidivism data:

• Drug offenders had a five-year rearrest rate of approximately 77%, comparable to the overall five-year rearrest rate of 77% for all offense types.
• Three-year rearrest rate for drug offenders: approximately 67%.
• Reconviction rate at five years: approximately 55%.
• Reincarceration rate at five years: approximately 44%.

(Source: Alper, Durose, and Markman, “2018 Update on Prisoner Recidivism: A 9-Year Follow-up Period (2005-2014),” Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2018.)

A critical finding: a large proportion of drug offender rearrests are for drug offenses, suggesting that the underlying substance use condition was not effectively addressed during incarceration. Approximately 41% of drug offenders who were rearrested within five years were arrested for a new drug offense (BJS, 2018).

How Drug Offender Rates Compare to Other Offenses

The BJS data shows that five-year rearrest rates are broadly similar across offense categories:

• Property offenders: 82%
• Drug offenders: 77%
• Violent offenders: 71%
• Public order offenders: 74%

(Source: BJS, 2018.)

Drug offenders have lower rates than property offenders but higher rates than violent offenders. The relative similarity across categories underscores that recidivism is driven by systemic factors, including poverty, housing instability, lack of employment opportunities, and untreated behavioral health conditions, not solely by offense type.

How Rehabilitation Programs Reduce Recidivism

Drug Courts and Their Outcomes

Drug courts represent the most extensively studied treatment-based alternative to incarceration for drug offenders. These specialized court programs divert eligible defendants into supervised treatment rather than prison.

A comprehensive meta-analysis of drug court outcomes published in Justice Quarterly (Mitchell et al., 2012) analyzed 154 independent evaluations and found:

• Drug courts reduced recidivism by an average of 8-14 percentage points compared to traditional criminal justice processing.
• The average recidivism rate for drug court participants was 38%, compared to 50% for comparison groups.
• Effects persisted beyond program completion, with reduced recidivism observed at three-year and five-year follow-ups.

The National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) reports that as of 2023, over 3,000 drug courts operate across the US. Research published in the Journal of Criminal Justice found that for every dollar invested in drug court programs, the criminal justice system saves approximately $2.21 in reduced incarceration and related costs (Carey et al., 2012).

Prison-Based Treatment Programs

For individuals who are incarcerated rather than diverted, prison-based treatment can reduce post-release recidivism. The primary model is the Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program, funded by the Department of Justice:

• A National Institute of Justice (NIJ) evaluation found that RSAT programs reduced post-release recidivism by approximately 15-20% when followed by community-based aftercare (NIJ, 2019).
• However, prison-based treatment without community aftercare showed minimal effect on recidivism. The transition from prison to community is a critical vulnerability point, and treatment gains made during incarceration dissipate rapidly without continued support (NIJ, 2019).
• A 2020 study published in Criminal Justice and Behavior found that medication-assisted treatment initiated in prison and continued upon release reduced reincarceration by 32% compared to non-medication treatment (Gordon et al., 2020).

The evidence strongly supports the conclusion that treatment is more effective than incarceration alone, and that continuity of care between institutional and community settings is essential.

Mental Health, Addiction, and Recidivism

Co-Occurring Disorders and Reoffending

The intersection of mental illness and substance use disorder is particularly relevant to recidivism. According to a study published in Psychiatric Services (Baillargeon et al., 2009):

• Individuals with co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders had approximately 30-40% higher recidivism rates than those with substance use disorders alone.
• Among incarcerated individuals, approximately 37% of those with a substance use disorder also had a diagnosable mental health condition (SAMHSA, 2024).
• Untreated mental health conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and schizophrenia, increase the risk of both substance use relapse and criminal behavior.

A 2022 analysis in The Lancet Psychiatry found that individuals released from prison who had co-occurring disorders were 2.8 times more likely to die within the first year of release compared to the general population, with drug overdose as the leading cause of death (Binswanger et al., JAMA, 2007; updated analysis by Bukten et al., The Lancet Psychiatry, 2022).

Integrated Treatment Approaches

Integrated dual-diagnosis treatment, which addresses both substance use and mental health conditions simultaneously within a single treatment framework, produces better outcomes for individuals in the criminal justice system:

• A 2019 meta-analysis published in Drug and Alcohol Dependence found that integrated treatment reduced both substance use and criminal behavior more effectively than sequential treatment (treating one condition first, then the other) or parallel treatment (two separate treatment tracks) (Priester et al., 2019).
• SAMHSA’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation recommends integrated treatment as best practice for justice-involved individuals with co-occurring conditions (SAMHSA GAINS Center, 2023).

New Jersey’s Drug Court and Diversion Programs

NJ Drug Court Outcomes

New Jersey operates one of the country’s most established drug court systems. NJ’s drug court program was established in 2002 following the Drug Court Act (N.J.S.A. 2C:35-14), and drug courts now operate in all 21 NJ counties.

According to the NJ Administrative Office of the Courts (2023):

• Program completion rate: Approximately 65% of individuals who enter NJ’s drug court program complete it successfully.
• Recidivism among graduates: Drug court graduates had a 16% recidivism rate (reconviction) at three years, compared to 54% for similar defendants processed through the traditional criminal justice system.
• Cost savings: NJ’s drug court program saves an estimated $25,000-$40,000 per participant compared to incarceration costs, according to analyses by the NJ Judiciary (NJ AOC, 2023).

NJ drug courts use a combination of supervised treatment, regular drug testing, judicial monitoring, and graduated sanctions and incentives. Participants typically remain in the program for 3-5 years and are required to engage in treatment, maintain employment or education, and demonstrate sustained behavioral change (NJ AOC, 2023).

NJ’s Approach to Treatment Over Incarceration

New Jersey has adopted several additional policies that prioritize treatment over incarceration for substance-involved offenders:

• NJ’s 2020 criminal justice reform expanded pretrial diversion options for drug offenses, reducing the number of individuals held in jail awaiting trial for nonviolent drug charges (NJ Judiciary, 2020).
• Medication-assisted treatment in NJ correctional facilities: NJ was among the early states to expand MAT access within its prison and jail systems. The NJ Department of Corrections offers methadone, buprenorphine, and naltrexone to incarcerated individuals with opioid use disorder, with continuation plans for community reentry (NJ DOC, 2023).
• Recovery courts for veterans: NJ operates specialized veterans’ courts that address substance use and mental health conditions among veterans with criminal justice involvement (NJ AOC, 2023).
• Naloxone at release: NJ correctional facilities provide naloxone training and distribution to individuals at release, addressing the elevated overdose risk in the immediate post-incarceration period. Research shows that the risk of fatal overdose is 12.7 times higher in the first two weeks after prison release compared to the general population (Binswanger et al., NEJM, 2007).

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This page is part of the Addiction Statistics, Research, and Recovery Data guide on NJ Addiction Centers.

Related resources:

• Rehab Success Rates: What the Data Actually Shows
• Drug Addiction Recovery Rates and Long-Term Outcomes
• Court-Ordered Rehab in New Jersey
• Dual Diagnosis Treatment