Source : Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Recidivism \Re*cid"i*vism\, n.
   The state or quality of being recidivous; relapse, specif.
   (Criminology), a falling back or relapse into prior criminal
   habits, esp. after conviction and punishment.

         The old English system of recognizances, in which the
         guilty party deposits a sum of money, is an excellent
         guarantee to society against recidivism. --Havelock
                                                  Ellis.

Source : WordNet®

recidivism
     n : habitual relapse into crime