Minister Fitzgerald welcomes the Publication of the CSO Recidivism Studies - February 4th, 2016

14th December, 2015

The Minister for Justice and Equality, Frances Fitzgerald TD, today welcomed the publication of the third Central Statistics Office Recidivism Studies for the Irish Prison Service and Probation Service.

The studies report on:

  • Prison Recidivism which is a detailed study on those who were released from a custodial prison sentence in 2009 and were subsequently convicted of a further offence up to the end of 2012 and
  • Probation Recidivism which is a detailed study of recidivism (re-offending) among offenders placed under Probation Service supervision in 2009.

Prison Report

The Prison Recidivism Study reports on recidivism among 7,507 offenders released by the Irish Prison Service on completion of a custodial sentence in 2009, based on reoffending and reconviction data up to the end of 2012.

The study’s findings indicate that the recidivism or re-offending rate was 47.5% for the particular cohort of offenders released in 2009. When compared with the equivalent cohort from the 2008 study there is a fall in recidivism of 3.5%. This follows the 4% decrease that was seen for the 2008 cohort in the last Report published in December 2013.

The report found that males made up most of the total population assessed and had a higher recidivism rate than females (48.2% for males and 41.2% among females). Re-offending among younger offenders is high (a rate of 54.4% for prisoners under 21 years of age).

Recidivism fell in most offence groups between 2008 and 2009. However, rises were observed for groups including Group 07 Burglary and related offences where rates rose from 60.8% to 69.9%.

 

Probation Report

The Probation Recidivism Study reports that close to 63% of offenders did not reoffend within a three-year period of being placed under Probation Service supervision. The re-offending rates were lower for females with almost 70% of females not reoffending in the period. When compared with the 2008 cohort the overall recidivism rate fell from 41.0% to 37.3% an absolute change of -3.8%.

The re-offending rate for offenders on Community Service Orders was lower; 67.5% did not re-offend in comparison with 61.6% in the 2008 cohort.

The re-offending rate for offenders on Probation Supervision was lower; almost 60% did not re-offend in comparison with 57.7% in the previous study.

 

Commenting on the report, Minister Fitzgerald said “I welcome the fact that recidivism levels for both those who were released from prison in 2009 and those who were supervised by the Probation Service have fallen by 3.5% and 3.7% respectively. I am confident that the joint initiatives recently introduced, including the Community Return and Community Support Schemes, will result in lower recidivism levels being reported in the prison cohort in future. I am very pleased with the continued improvement in offending reduction among those on probation supervision.”

 

“Our justice agencies are each very diverse groups, with their own roles and responsibilities. The Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service have signed a Joint Agency Response to Crime Protocol with the Garda Síochána. Their aim is to target, in a co-ordinated way, those prolific offenders who cause a high level of harm or disruption in communities. I am certain that, in collaboration with statutory, community and voluntary partners they will achieve an effective outcome.” added the Minister.

 

The Minister noted that prison recidivism had fallen in many groups and that burglary had the highest rate of recidivism at 69.9%. The Minister re-affirmed the Government’s commitment to address this issue saying “Burglary of a person’s home is traumatic crime and can have a devastating impact on our sense of security. I have said before that I am determined to keep burglars off the streets and to improve the safety of our communities. I have recently published the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Bill 2015, which targets repeat burglary offenders through new measures relating to bail and the imposition of consecutive sentencing for repeat offending”

 

The Minister commended the work of the Central Statistics Office in facilitating the undertaking of the studies. The Minister acknowledged the continued partnership of the CSO with the Probation Service and Irish Prison Service in publishing these valuable studies which will inform the work of both services in helping to make communities safer and reduce victimisation.