Pay it Again

WASHINGTON--More than a quarter of state prisoners return to prison within two years of release and nearly a third are back within three years, the Justice Department reported yesterday in a study of selected states.

Based on the pilot study, the department's Bureau of Justice Statistics said it appeared that half or more of the returned prisoners were sent back to prison for new crimes rather than violations of parole rules.

Using data from 14 states, the bureau found that 14.9 percent of released inmates were back in prison within one year, 26.1 percent within two years and 31.5 percent within three years.

The 14 states were: Colorado, Georgia, lowa, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, Nebraska, New York, North Carolina, Okiahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Data from nine of these states showed that the greatest risk of return came in the second half of the first year of release "suggesting the need for maximum post-release correctional support during that period," the bureau said.

The longer an inmate stayed out, the more likely he or she was to remain out.