The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Recidivism \Re*cid"i*vism\ (r[-e]*s[i^]d"[i^]*v[i^]z'm), 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.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

         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.
   [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

recidivism
    n 1: habitual relapse into crime