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Recidivism: The Treatment Of The Habitual Offender

University of Richmond Law Review

Penal law and theory generally "addresses itself to two types of criminals: first offenders and habitual offenders or recidivists. Those in the latter group have been referred to as failures for two reasons: first, they have failed to alter their previous behavior and make an adequate adjustment upon returning to society; second, society has failed with them in terms of its efforts at correction, treatment, and rehabilitation. The traditional method of dealing with the recidivist has been to increase the punishment "increasing the dosage of a medicine which failed to cure when administered in small quantities." Indeed, upon conviction for …