* More than six in ten individuals (62%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2018 were convicted of re-offending within three years of release.
* Re-offending tends to decline with age. While 84% of young adults (aged less than 21 years old) re-offended within three years of being released, just under one-third (31%) of those aged 50 and over re-offended in the same period.
Individuals linked to custodial sentences relating to Public Order offences (77%) or Damage to Property & to the Environment offences (76%) were most likely to be convicted of a re-offence within three years of being released.
* One-year re-offending rates for individuals released in 2021 indicate that 42% re-offended within a year after being released from custody.
* Individuals released during 2021 from custodial sentences relating to Burglary (61%), Public Order (58%), or Robbery (57%) had the highest rate of re-offending within a year of being released. Re-offences committed by individuals can be in a different crime category to the original offence.
* Half (50%) of individuals released from custody during 2021 and living in the Midland region (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) re-offended within a year of being released. In contrast, more than one-third (34%) of individuals based in the Mid-East region (Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow) re-offended in the same period following release.
2 Comments
Key Findings
* More than six in ten individuals (62%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2018 were convicted of re-offending within three years of release.
* Re-offending tends to decline with age. While 84% of young adults (aged less than 21 years old) re-offended within three years of being released, just under one-third (31%) of those aged 50 and over re-offended in the same period.
Individuals linked to custodial sentences relating to Public Order offences (77%) or Damage to Property & to the Environment offences (76%) were most likely to be convicted of a re-offence within three years of being released.
* One-year re-offending rates for individuals released in 2021 indicate that 42% re-offended within a year after being released from custody.
* Individuals released during 2021 from custodial sentences relating to Burglary (61%), Public Order (58%), or Robbery (57%) had the highest rate of re-offending within a year of being released. Re-offences committed by individuals can be in a different crime category to the original offence.
* Half (50%) of individuals released from custody during 2021 and living in the Midland region (Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) re-offended within a year of being released. In contrast, more than one-third (34%) of individuals based in the Mid-East region (Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow) re-offended in the same period following release.
https://www.cso.ie/en/releasesandpublications/ep/p-pros/prisonre-offendingstatistics2021/keyfindings/
If rehabilitation is the goal of the prison service then this is an absolute failure.