reoffendv.
/ˌriːəˈfɛnd/, U.S. /ˌriəˈfɛnd/ rare in 19th cent.
intransitive. To offend again; esp. (of a previously convicted offender) to commit a subsequent offence.
ΘΚΠ
society > law > rule of law > lawlessness > break the law [verb (intransitive)] > carry out criminal activities > commit a crime or an offence > commit subsequent offence
reoffend1634
1634 J. Russell Two Famous Pitcht Battels Lypsich & Lutzen 54 Waiting till Fortune shall be pleas'd again Some fitter opportunitie to send, And then th' are readie for to reoffend.
1644 S. Rutherford Lex, Rex xxxiv. 360 If a Prelate come in open war to kill the innocent Apostle Paul, the Apostle might fly or hold his hands, but might not re-offend.
1717 T. Brereton Day's Journey Eglogue 2. 27 'Midst all his Oaths to reoffend no more, He felt a Transport ardent as before.
1750 C. Leadbetter Royal Gauger (ed. 3) 499 (table) Smugglers taking the Benefit of this Pardon, and re-offending, to suffer Death.
1895 Evening Post (Denver) 5 July 1/2 With a view to deterring criminals from re-offending, progressive penalties should be inflicted.
1968 H. L. Packer Limits of Criminal Sanction 140 The situational murderer might be released as soon as he had been diagnosed as being unlikely to reoffend.
1986 Psychol. Today Mar. 64/1 We believe that sex offenders are less likely to reoffend if they can develop more satisfactory sexual relationships with appropriate partners.
2000 Guardian 5 Aug. i. 3/1 Without controls and with an increase in stress, the paedophile is much more likely to reoffend.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, December 2009; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
<
v.1634