Over 80 per cent of prisoners aged under 21 re-offend within three years

Just under 50 per cent of people released from prison in 2018 reoffended within one year, new figures from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) show.

The CSO report reveals that 48 per cent of those released from prison that year had been caught reoffending within 12 months. The figure is down from 54 per cent in 2011.

Reoffending rates within one year of a custodial sentence indicate that those who served between three and six months prior to release in 2018 had the highest probability of reoffending within one year of release. Some 61 per cent of ex-prisoners in this category reoffended.

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• Two-thirds (66 per cent) of those released from custodial sentences in 2018, who re-offended, received a further custodial sentence.

• Individuals released in 2018 were most likely to reoffend by committing public order and other social-code offences.

• Younger age groups continue to have higher custodial re-offending rates. More than 80 per cent of people those aged under 21 reoffended within three years of release.

Looking at reoffending rates within three years of a custodial sentence, the figures showed almost 62 per cent of those released from jail in 2015 reoffended within three years. This was down from 68 percent in 2011.

Those who were released in 2015 from sentences related to burglary had the highest likelihood of reoffending, at 79 percent within three years. This compared to 20 per cent of individuals released from custodial sentences for sexual offences who reoffended within three years of release

Men represented 93 percent of custodial releases in 2015 but women had a slightly higher likelihood of re-offending within three years. Some 66 percent of women reoffended, compared to 61 percent of men.

The CSO acknowledged the number for those who re-offended within one year was subject to the numbers of cases that had come to court within one year. For that reason the three-year period used by the CSO was more indicitive of a trend, according to CSO statistician, Felix Coleman.

Mr Coleman said 62percent of those released from custody in 2015 were linked to a re-offending incident within three years of their release. He said the most frequent re-offending offence type (21 percent of all re-offences) concerned theft and related offences.

More likely to re-offend

Mr Coleman said the data also indicated that younger age groups of released individuals continue to be more likely to re-offend, with more than 83 percent of released individuals aged less than 21 at the time of leaving prison re-offending within three years of release.

In contrast, just 27 percent of individuals who were over 50 years old re-offended within three years of release, he said,

Mr Coleman said of the two-thirds of re-offenders from 2018 who received a custodial sanction for their re-offence, those whose offences were grouped among assault, attempts and threats to murder, harassment and related offences were the most likely to receive a custodial sanction (80percent ), rather than a non-custodial sanction such as a fine or suspended sentence.

The CSO said it was worth noting that re-offending rates were falling over time whether one looks at three year or one year windows for re-offending, following release from custody.

The CSO also noted that its methodology for re-offending calculation has consistently excluded road or traffic-related incidents logged on the Garda Pulse computer system. This was because the vast majority of these incidents would be dealt with via the Fixed Charge Notice system.

However, the CSO said a very small number of these road traffic incidents had resulted in more serious related offences being grouped with these incidents. “Accordingly, it is important that persons who re-offend in this fashion are counted in the re-offending estimates. For the reference year 2015, it resulted in an extra 103 (4per cent) or so persons being counted as re-offenders”, said Mr Coleman.