Recidivism is the tendency for people to return to bad habits (alcohol or substance abuse) or a criminal lifestyle after a period of rehabilitation or imprisonment. Most of us have experienced this with things like diet (“I’m not going to eat junk food anymore”, only to eat potato chips a week later) or exercise. This is believed to happen for many reasons; poor judgement, peer pressure, depression, etc. Rehabilitation programs, halfway houses, and support programs are used to decrease the recidivism rate.