WordWealth: recidivism

re·cid·i·vism , n.

Sometimes in cases of mercy killing, the evidence is simply brushed aside. In the Illinois case of People v. Werner, the defendant pleaded guilty to a manslaughter charge for having suffocated his wife, who was a hopelessly crippled arthritic and had begged her husband to put her out of her misery. After hearing testimony from the family of the defendant regarding his devotion to his wife, and after the doctor testified to the excruciating pain and mental despair of the woman, the defendant was allowed to change his plea to not guilty. The court then acquitted him on the grounds that a jury would not be inclined to convict in such cases. The judge also observed that in this case there was no likelihood of recidivism, that is, of repeating this kind of activity.—— Daniel C. Maguire, 'Death, Legal and Illegal'; The Atlantic; February 1974

Disneyland Paris attracts 12 million people a year, making it by far the most successful tourist attraction in France, with twice as many visitors as the next most successful places, the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower. Disney has invented commercial totalitarianism. There are few benches in Disneyland Paris and none of the pleasant areas of lawns and flowers that exist in most other theme parks. Once inside the Magic Kingdom, you are expected to rush from one queue or one shop or one overpriced fast-food stall to the next, spending money and Having Fun. Children apart, no one looks very happy, but plenty of adults come on their own, over and over again. Disneyland has one of the highest recidivism rates among parks of its kind. —— John Lichfield; 'Our Man in Paris: A Not so Magical Kingdom'; Independent Argument, Oct 28, 2002

"In weighing the gravity of Ewing's offense, we must place on the scales not only his current felony, but also his long history of felony recidivism," Justice O'Connor wrote. With deliberate understatement, Justice O'Connor noted that "Ewing is no stranger to the criminal justice system." The justice then listed more than a dozen crimes, involving thefts, burglaries, drugs, battery and house burglaries, including one incident in which he threatened a man with a knife. --But the justice noted that Mr. Ewing, in his late 30's and seriously ill when he was sentenced, will probably die in prison. "Ewing's sentence (life imprisonment with a minimum, term of 25 years) is grossly disproportionate to the triggering offense — stealing three golf clubs — Ewing's recidivism notwithstanding," Justice Breyer said. —— David Stout, 'Court Affirms Stringent 'Three Strikes' Law'; The New York Times; March 5, 2003

Did you know? (Merriam-Webster)
"Recidivism" means literally "a falling back" and usually implies "into bad habits." It comes from the Latin word "recidivus," which means "recurring." "Recidivus" itself came from the Latin verb "recidere," which is a composite of the prefix "re-" and the verb "cadere" (meaning "to fall") and means "to fall back." "Recidivists" tend to relapse, or "fall back" into old habits and particularly crime. "Deciduous" and "incident" are two other English words that have roots in "cadere." "Deciduous" comes from the verb "decidere" ("de-" plus "cadere"), which means "to fall off." And "incident" comes from "incidere" ("in " plus "cadere"), which means "to fall into."

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