Kentucky defines recidivism as "an individual's return to the institutional custody of the Department of Corrections within 2 years of release from a State institution or contract facility by parole, shock probation, or completion of sentence." Of the 7,579 inmates released in 2000, 2,081 (27.5 percent) were returned to prison within 2 years either because of a parole technical violation or a new conviction. The overall recidivism rate has gone from a low of 27.2 percent for those released in 1985 to a high of 34.7 percent for those released in 1994. Recidivism was highest for violent offenders; however, the rate for drug offenders is rapidly increasing. The recidivism rate has fallen for most categories of inmates between 1989 and 2000, except for drug offenders, whose recidivism rate has increased by nearly 8.3 percent in 12 years. Inmates who were supervised after release returned at a much higher rate than those who were released by final discharge (i.e., without additional parole supervision). Inmates were more likely to return to prison within the first year after release rather than the second year. Those under 30 years old returned at a higher rate than any older age group, with those under 21 years old returning at the highest rate and those over 50 at the lowest rate. Males returned to prison more often than females, and a higher percentage of Black inmates recidivated than White inmates. Inmates released from maximum-security institutions returned at a higher rate than those released from any other type of institution. 16 tables