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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 half of individuals (57%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2019 were convicted of re-offending within three years of release.
While 78% of young adults re-offended within three years of being released in 2019, just under one-third (32%) of those aged 51 years and over re-offended in the same period.
Individuals linked to custodial sentences relating to Public Order offences (75%) were the most likely to be convicted of a re-offence within three years of being released.
More than four in ten individuals (44%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2022 were convicted of re-offending within one year of release.
Individuals released during 2022 from custodial sentences relating to Public Order (68%) or Theft (63%) had the highest rate of re-offending within a year of being released.
Over half of individuals (52%) released from custody during 2022 and living in the Mid-West region (Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary) re-offended within a year of being released. In contrast, one-third (33%) of individuals based in the Border region (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo) re-offended in the same period following release.
The Prison Re-offending Statistics release provides information on the level of recorded re-offending by individuals released from custodial 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 release primarily provides re-offending estimates of individuals who were released from custody in 2019 (three-year re-offending). In addition, more timely estimates for individuals released in 2022 (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 release 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 individuals released in 2019 (three-year re-offending) and 2022 (one-year re-offending). The three-year re-offending period refers to individuals released in 2019. The time period for a re-offence to occur is three-years (2019 to 2022) 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 in 2022. 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.
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Note: 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 (11 September 2025) published Prison Re-offending Statistics 2022.
Commenting on the release, Felix Coleman, Statistician in the Crime and Criminal Justice Division, said: "Today’s publication provides annual estimates of the re-offending rates for individuals released from custody up to and including 2022. 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 2022 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 initially imprisoned for.
National Re-offending Rates
Overall, the most recent estimates for 2022 covering one-year re-offending estimates indicate a continuing increase in the re-offending rate of individuals released from custody when compared with the previous year’s rates. Statistics for 2022 indicate the one-year re-offending rate (44%) was 2 percentage points higher than the same measure for 2021 (42%). The longer-term re-offending rate measuring re-offending three years following release in 2019 (57%) shows a 5 percentage point decrease in the levels of re-offending when compared with 2018 (62%).
Factors Relating to Re-offending
Offence Type
The higher rate of one-year re-offending in 2022 was due to an increase in re-offending by individuals serving custodial sentences related to Public Order related offences. Almost six out of ten (58%) individuals released in 2021 from custodial sentences relating to Public Order re-offended within a year of release. In 2022 this figure had risen to more than two-thirds (68%).
Age
The highest levels of re-offending from individuals who were released from custody in 2022 were among young adults (aged less than 21 years old). The re-offending rates for this age group also increased between 2021 and 2022. In 2021, more than half (54%) of young adults under the age of 21 who were released from custody re-offended within a year compared with more than six out of ten (63%) of the same age group in 2022.
Geographical Region
Regionally, the highest rates of re-offending from individuals who were released from custody in 2022 took place in the Mid-West area (52%) consisting of Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary. In contrast, one-third (33%) of individuals based in the Border region (Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Monaghan, and Sligo) re-offended in the same period following release. When compared with the re-offending rates for 2021, the South-East had the largest increase in re-offending rates from 2021 (35%) to 2022 (44%) while the Midlands had the largest decrease in one-year re-offending rates from 2021 (50%) to 2022 (43%).”