The U.S. Sentencing Commission Office of Research and Data examined the relationship between the length of incarceration and recidivism. Twenty-five thousand four hundred thirty-one federal offenders with 120 months or more sentencing were examined within five study cohorts.  The study groups were identified as having a statistically significant deterrent relationship between incarceration and recidivism. Offenders sentenced to less than six months had a recidivism rate of 37.5 percent, while offenders serving longer sentences had relatively stable recidivism rates ranging from 50.8 percent to 55.5 percent. However, that study did not control factors associated with recidivism, such as the type of instant federal offense of conviction, criminal history of the offender, or age of the offender at the time of release.

The U.S. Sentencing Commission is an independent agency in the judicial branch of government created by the Sentencing Reform Act of 1984. Congress enacted the SRA in response to widespread disparity in federal sentencing, ushering in a new era of federal sentencing through the creation of the Commission and the promulgation of federal sentencing guidelines.

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^{Keywords: Federal, Report, Length of Incarceration and Recidivism, Comparison groups, Federal Offenders  U.S. Sentencing Commission}

• Recidivism