8 in 10 released inmates arrested again within 3 years Nearly eight in 10 Delaware inmates sentenced to more than a year in prison are arrested again for a serious offense within three years of their release, according to a first-of-its-kind state study. The 27-page report, Recidivism in Delaware, also found that 71 percent of released prisoners are convicted of a serious crime within three years, and that 68 percent return to prison for at least one day. The report was released today.