CSO Study: Individuals released from Prison in 2010 and their subsequent levels of re-offending

9th November 2016

The Central Statistics Office has published a study which examines individuals who were released from the custody of the Irish Prison Service in the year 2010, and their subsequent levels of re-offending.

Some of the key findings highlighted include:

• In 2010, some 9,339 individuals were released from the custody of the Irish Prison Service. Of these, 45.1% re-offended within a three-year period;
• The recorded recidivism rate in 2010 was 45.1%, a decrease from the 47.5% recorded in 2009;
• As of 2010, 46% of males reoffended within three years, while the corresponding figure for females was 37.8%;
• Recidivism rates for female offenders under 21 fell by 12.9%, and increased by 8.8% for female offenders over 51;
• While 49.8% of individuals aged less than 21 years re-offended, the recidivism rate fell to 29.4% for the 51+ year age category;
• The lowest rates of recidivism were recorded for Sexual Offences (14%) and Fraud, Deception and Related Offences (30.9%);
• The highest rates of recidivism were recorded for Burglary and Related Offences (68.6%) and Robbery Extortion and Hijacking Offences (67.4%);
• Of those individuals who re-offended, 60.8%% did so within the first six months of official release from custody. An additional 16.7% re-offended within one year of their release, bringing the total who reoffended within one year of release to 77.5%.

To read the full report click: here