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Public-order convicts most likely to re-offend

New CSO data shows that, in 2017, 78% of those convicted for public order offences re-offended within three years of being released.

Over six in ten individuals (61%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2017 were convicted of re-offending within three years of release.

Re-offending tends to decline with age, the data shows. While 84% of young adults re-offended within three years of being released, just over one quarter (27%) of those aged over 50 re-offended in the same period.

Individuals linked to custodial sentences relating to public order offences (78%) or burglary offences (78%) were the most likely to re-offend within three years of release.

One-year re-offending rates for individuals released in 2020 indicate that 41% re-offended within a year after being released from custody.

Around half (48%) of the re-offending that was committed by individuals released in 2020 was linked to just two of the 16 offence categories (public order or theft-related offences).

Statistician Felix Coleman said: "Today’s publication provides annual estimates of the re-offending rates for individuals released from custody up to and including 2020.

“Additional insights are also provided in relation to the age, sex, offence, and re-offence types of those who re-offended.

“The most recent reference year available for statistics relating to one-year re-offending is 2020 because a minimum of two years is needed to establish a re-offending rate: one year for potential re-offences to take place, and one further year for court conviction proceedings to be completed.

National re-offending rates

“Overall, both the three- and one-year re-offending estimates indicate a decline in the re-offending rate of individuals released from custody during the last decade”, he said.

“Statistics for 2020 indicate the one-year re-offending rate (41%) was 13 percentage points lower than the same measure for 2011 (54%).

“The one-year re-offending rate for 2020 was also the lowest measured since the first estimates of custodial re-offending were calculated for reference year 2011. The longer term re-offending rate measuring re-offending three years following release also shows a decline in the levels of re-offending.

"Between 2011 (68%) and the most recent year this analysis is available for (2017) the proportion of individuals released from custody who were convicted of a re-offence within three years (61%) also dropped.”

Offence type

Since 2017, statistics indicate that the reduction in custodial re-offending has been mainly due to reductions in the re-offending of individuals who received custodial sanctions for offences relating to:

• Burglary (66% in 2017 down to 54% in 2020),
• Damage to property and the environment (65% in 2017 down to 53% in 2020).

In contrast, the re-offending rates of individuals who were released from custodial sentences related to road and traffic-related incidents (37% in 2017) has reduced by just three percentage points during the same period (34% in 2020).

Age

The highest levels of re-offending from individuals who were released from custody in 2020 was among young adults.

Six out of ten (60%) of young adults under the age of 21 re-offended within a year. In contrast, less than one third (32%) of 41 to 50-year-olds re-offended in the same period following release.

Geographical region

There were significant regional differences in re-offending rates ranging from a third (30%) in the Mid-East, consisting of Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow to half (50%) in the South-West regions (consisting of Cork and Kerry).

At county level the most recent statistics show that individuals who indicated they were living in Westmeath (60%) and Cavan (53%) at the time of their release had the highest one-year re-offending rate while those living in Wexford, Sligo and Donegal (23%) had the lowest tendency to re-offend, the CSO has said.