THE BEST OF: This article, published on May 2, 2012, describes a PEW document from April 2011, that provides the data necessary for a comprehensive review of state prison systems. (click on the image on the left for a PDF of that document)

The PEW Center on the States  recently released the first ever study on  prison recidivism among the states. Released on April 13, 2011, “State of Recidivism: The Revolving Door of America’s Prisons”, provides  state-by-state data on the rate that people return to prison. Nationally, the survey found that four in ten persons return to state prison within three years of their release.