Introduction The phenomenon of youth who repeatedly engage in criminal behavior is common in the society. Youth who repeatedly commit crimes are known as re-offenders, while the repetition of crimes by youth is technically referred to as juvenile recidivism. The study of juvenile recidivism has attracted substantial attention from scholars, especially psychologists, because the youth are considered to be at more risk of becoming re-offenders due to their age. Factors like the sex of the offender, and the consequences that result from initial offences, have also been known to affect the rates of recidivism (Bynum, 2010). Other factors that substantially affect the rates of recidivism among juveniles are relationship with parents and peers, racial orientation of the offender, and indulgence in drugs. There are also other external factors like globalism, social changes and the diversity of people in terms of social status, economic statuses, and even ethics. A number of studies related to recidivism have already been conducted in various states, and countries. The findings of these studies confirm the aforementioned factors affecting recidivism. It is of essence that authorities utilize the findings and recommendations of these studies in formulating policies since juvenile recidivism is a problem that affects the society greatly. Apart from, potentially, making youth track of their lives, recidivism is responsible for a number of disorders occurring in the contemporary society. This is because the victims of juvenile offenders may have a hard time recovering from offence. This, of course, depends on the kind of offence perpetrated against the victim. Sex-offence victims are likely to be the most affected by the acts of offence committed by these juveniles against them. The effect even extends beyond the victims, and the family and the society of the victim may also be affected. This may occur after murders, sex-offences, and other serious offences. The fact that every report for a study on recidivism ends with recommendations is a plus in the efforts to reduce recidivism rates. A number of solutions that can effectively work in certain states have thus been identified. It is thus the responsibility of policy makers to ensure that they develop appropriate and effective policies that put into consideration the facts on the ground, established by research activities. This paper is a critical examination of research that has already been conducted on juvenile recidivism. Problem statement One thing that must be kept in mind in studying recidivism is that, although recidivism shares a lot of similarities in different states, it is not essentially the same in all states. This is, of course, as a result of the variety of factors that affect recidivism in different states. For instance, as stated above, racial diversity is a factor that determines recidivism rates. This is because research has shown a significant prevalence of recidivism in certain racial groups, and thus racial composition of a population will indubitably affect recidivism rates. A good example of this prevalence is the fact that in virtually all states, recidivism is more prevalent among black juv