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.
Estimates covering probation related re-offending for people who received probation orders in 2020 indicate a 7% increase in the annual re-offending rate of males under the age of 25 between 2019 and 2020. In comparison, data on young adult females indicates re-offending rates reduced between 2019 (33%) and 2020 (25%) by 8%. The re-offending rate for those aged 25-44 in both males (23%) and females (24%) remained unchanged between 2019 and 2020. See Figure 2.1 and Table 2.1.
In 2020, people that received probation orders relating to Offences against Government, Justice procedures related offences had the highest likelihood of re-offending, with over one third of them doing so (35%). This category includes probation orders issued in relation to:
The largest number of probation orders issued by the courts in 2020 were linked to referrals for Controlled Drug offence related orders. This category accounted for nearly one fifth (17%) of all the probation orders issued in 2020 (605 out of 3,478). In this category, the one year re-offending rate was 23%. See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.2.
The Probation Re-Offending Statistics includes people who received three broad types of court sanctions, Post Release Supervision Orders, Probation Orders, or Community Service Orders depending on the circumstances of their cases. Out of the three types, people linked with a Post Release Supervision Order (18%) in 2020 were the least likely to re-offend. Post Release Supervision means that an offender is monitored when they are released from prison in order to comply with the conditions set out by their court outcome. People who received a Probation Order (30%) in 2020 were most likely to re-offend within a year. See Table 2.1 and Figure 2.3.
Donegal (10%) and Wicklow (12%) were the two counties with the lowest one-year re-offending rates at NUTS1 3 level in 2020. The West (21%) (which contains Galway in addition to Mayo and Roscommon) and Midlands (21%) (which contains Laois, Longford, Offaly, and Westmeath) also had the lowest regional levels of re-offending although these regions contained just 369 of the total 3,478 people issued with probation orders in 2020 (11%). The South-West, consisting of counties Cork and Kerry, had the highest level (31%) of one-year re-offending from people who received probation in 2020. In Dublin, where the highest number of people linked to probation were based (30%), just over one quarter (27%) of people who received a probation order re-offended within a year. See Map 2.1 and Table 2.2.
1NUTS = Nomenclature des Unités territoriales statistiques. A standard geographical breakdown of Ireland geographically at county (NUTS 3), regional (NUTS 2) and national level (NUTS 1). See CSO County and NUTS Regions classification for further information.
People that re-offended within a year of receiving their probation orders in 2020 were most likely to carry out a re-offence related to Public Order & Other Social Codes offences, with over a quarter (28%) of re-offending occurring in this offence category. This offence category includes:
In contrast, there was almost no re-offending linked to re-offences in the categories of Homicide, Sexual offending, or Kidnapping (less than half a percent). See Figure 2.5 and Table 2.4.
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