A recidivist is someone who has committed crimes in the past and has begun to commit crimes again, for example after a period in prison. Six prisoners are still at large along with four dangerous recidivists. + recidivism re·cidi·vism Their basic criticism was that prisons do not reduce the crime rate, they cause recidivism. a criminal who starts doing illegal things again, even after he or she has been punished (récidiviste, from récidiver , from recidere, from cadere )
someone who lapses into previous undesirable patterns of behavior someone who is repeatedly arrested for criminal behavior (especially for the same criminal behavior)