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Following the publication of the fifth Review of the Quality of Crime Statistics in October 2023, the Central Statistics Office (CSO) has lifted the 'Under Reservation' categorisation around Recorded Crime Statistics. This is possible because An Garda Síochána have introduced a range of quality measures over the last number of years which have resulted in sustained improvement in the quality of the underlying crime data. These changes give a level of assurance to users that they can rely on Recorded Crime Statistics.
For further information see our Lifting of Under Reservation categorisation for Recorded Crime Statistics FAQ page.
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.
The Prison Re-offending Statistics publication provides information on the level of recorded re-offending by individuals released from custodial or Fine Sentence1 sanctions with the Irish Prison Service. The re-offending rates are calculated as the percentage of individuals who have been convicted of any crime incident during the reference period after their release. This publication primarily provides re-offending estimates of individuals who were released from custody in 2018 (three-year re-offending). In addition, more timely estimates for individuals released in 2021 (one-year re-offending) are provided. For the three-year re-offending estimates, a period of three years with a further two years for conviction after release is used to measure a re-offending incident and for the statistics on one year re-offending, a period of one year after release with a further year for conviction is used as the re-offending period. In addition to updates to existing re-offending estimates, this publication also provides estimates that show the levels of re-offending that exist regionally, based on where individuals registered as living at the time of their release.
Figure 1.2 below shows the time periods and process of establishing these re-offending indicators for the prison re-offending of persons released in 2018 (three-year re-offending) and 2021 (one-year re-offending). The three-year re-offending period refers to individuals released or fine sentenced in 2018. The time period for a re-offence to occur is three-years (2018 to 2021) and a further two-years are left for court decisions (convictions/acquittals) to take place. The one-year re-offending period relates to individuals released or fine sentenced in 2021. The time period for a re-offence to occur is one-year (2022) and a further year is left for court decisions (convictions/acquittals) to take place.
1Footnote: Fine sentences are conditional custodial sentences in which custody is avoided when a fine is paid to the court by the convicted offender.
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Statistician's Comment
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) has today (02 October 2024) released Prison Re-offending Statistics 2021.
Commenting on the release, Felix Coleman, Statistician in the Crime and Criminal Justice Division, said: "Today’s release provides annual estimates of the re-offending rates for individuals released from custody up to and including 2021. 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 2021 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. It is important to note that re-offending offence types do not always correspond to the same offence that individuals were imprisoned for.
National Re-offending Rates
Overall, both the three- and one-year re-offending estimates indicate a slight increase in the re-offending rate of individuals released from custody when compared with the previous year's rates. Statistics for 2021 indicate the one-year re-offending rate (42%) was one percentage point higher than in 2020 (41%). The longer-term re-offending rate measuring re-offending three years following release in 2018 (62%) has also shown a one percentage point rise in the levels of re-offending when compared with 2017 (61%).
Factors Relating to Re-offending
Offence Type
The higher rate of one-year re-offending in 2021 was due to an increase in re-offending by individuals serving custodial sentences related to Burglary. More than six in ten (61%) individuals released in 2021 from custodial sentences relating to Burglary re-offended within a year of release. In contrast, more than half (54%) of individuals released for the same offence type in 2020 re-offended within a year. While Burglary offences have a higher rate of repeat Burglary re-offences, re-offending offences do not always correspond to the same offence for which individuals were imprisoned.
Age
Although the highest levels of re-offending from individuals who were released from custody in 2021 were among young adults (aged less than 21 years old) the re-offending rates for this age group declined between 2020 and 2021. In 2021, more than half (54%) of young adults under the age of 21, released from custody re-offended within a year compared with six in ten (60%) of the same age group in 2020.
Geographical Region
Regionally, the highest rates of re-offending from individuals who were released from custody in 2021 took place in the Midlands area (50%) consisting of Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath. In contrast, the Mid-East region consisting of Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow had the lowest rate of one-year reoffending (34%). When compared with re-offending rates for 2020, both the Mid-West and Mid-East had the largest rise in re-offending rates from 2020 to 2021 (+4%), while the South-West had the largest decrease in one-year re-offending rates from 2020 (50%) to 2021 (46%)."