More than half of individuals (57%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2019 were convicted of re-offending within three years of release

by NanorH

33 comments

  1. **Key Findings**

    * 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.

  4. Who is the one that holds the record again ?

    They had like 500-600 convictions.

  5. The criminal justice system in Ireland is punitive rather than rehabilitative. This is exactly the result I would expect.

  6. A huge % of the prison population is functionally illiterate. Not to be all lefty about it, but education has a huge part to play in crime prevention. 

  7. We don’t rehabilitate and punishment is proven to rarely work alone.

  8. Be interesting to see this data compared with the length of the average sentence, because there’s a lot of evidence that shows sentences of 12 months or less make basically no difference to reoffending rates, whereas longer sentences do. So we either stop wasting everyone’s time and money by locking people up for a few months, or we give longer sentences with better access to rehabilitation and possibly make that a requirement of release – no release until you can read and write, for example.

  9. The ‘reoffended’ in this context means convicted in court for offences committed within 3 years of release, with 2 extra years allowed for the court process to complete.

    Garda detection rates for 2024 are reported as 22% for burglary, 31% for theft, 8% for fraud, 33% kidnapping, 23% hijacking, 8% sexual assaults and so on.

    If every released prisoner commited 2.5 crimes within 3 years post release, and the gardai successfully managed to secure convictions in 20% of cases, then it’s likely the CSO would record that as a 50% reoffending rate. In reality the reoffending rate is likely much higher.

  10. Im interested the Garda numbers in the areas with lower rates of offending and the types of crimes the offenders commit.

  11. Its a disgrace. The whole country bare criminals want enforcement ans toughening of the laws in all regards, yet they seem to get weaker and weaker

  12. When you dont rehabilitate or adequately punish people what is going to stop them reoffending? Prisons are not the punishment they once were so theres no fear from people with regard to being sent there. Theres nothing that will turn people toward making something of themselves if they arent already searching for that themselves. Gotta have a mix of good learning opportunities and harsh conditions which will make people want to avail of those opportunities and those that dont can simply rot away there.

  13. The headshots they use on the infographic are so funny, none of us are picturing anyone who looks remotely that groomed.

  14. It’s a revolving door system. Suits the judiciary, Gardai and surrounding services.

  15. There is no point in employing and army of social workers with these numbers, it is money down the drain, if they can´t stop re-offending then off they go, put the money towards something that actually works.

  17. Only way to fix this is to go back to the chain gang days, have these scrotes pick litter from the roads. clean graffiti etc

  18. This is why the resistance to locking up under 18’s where it can be avoided. You just turn them more criminal by doing it

  19. Just goes to show that it’s the same few heads in every town doing most of the damage. 3 strike rule and lock them up for good. Just be done with them.

    No way we should allow people to have 40/50/60+ convictions. What other countries tolerate that level of insubordination?

  20. This is such a shambles and not a single party ran with building out prison capacity on their card. SMH…

  22. we all know it, People in this cohort of offenders only understand one thing….. Consequences

    They know they can play 100 victim cards because we set up this stupid system that sees them as “victims” and they are very skilled at playing the victim card after a life on the dole.

    until we try punitive justice we dont know if it works or not in ireland.

    can we not give it a try,
    mandatory army and some kind of discipline training if we don’t have space in jails.

  23. Well given you have to be a repeat offender to be jailed I’m more curious why the figure isn’t higher. It’s a clickbait title that doesn’t present the obvious causality that we tend to only imprison repeat offenders.

  25. A guy came into my store yesterday and attempted to steal stock from the shelves. He was approached by the security guard and he handed the stuff back.

    What I found interesting was, when he was stopped he begged us not to call the Garda and he presented a temporary release document that showed he was only out for a few days for resocialisation in preparation for his full release in the coming weeks.

    Fucking gas.

  26. What percentage got the addiction, educational, housing and financial supports that actually reduce reoffending?

  27. Controversial but some people should be sterilised. Particularly if you’ve had children removed from your ‘care’. If you can’t look after them you shouldn’t have them.

  28. the system obviously “re-forming” people into more committed criminals

  29. This isnt a new thing.

    Prison doesnt help or straighten people out, naturally most of them will go back to their old ways

  30. The lack of diversity in that image. The right wingers are starting to get what they want

  31. We need a two-tier prison system: Firstly, we need enough places for the hardened types who are in and out of prison every week. Then we need a proper restorative, gentle prison that’s more like a school, and not a kip like Oberstown, for the younger offenders. Seperate them entirely and give them some sort of a chance.

    But maybe after like 30 previous convictions we just throw the key away.

  32. No one seems to be commenting on the 51+ age group here but it is clear that recidivism drops sharply with age.

    I would be interested in seeing the rates for the 20s into the early 30s as there is research showing that (for men at least) the sharpest drop in risk of criminality happens much earlier around 30.

    If the same bears out here, it points at a much more practical solution than either imposing multiple decade sentences or letting people out after only a year for violent crimes: impose 4-5 year sentences, 10 for serious crimes, and focus on cracking down on prison crime to keep prisoners safe and ideally able to pick up some skills as they age out of crime.

  33. Country with absolutely nothing to offer anyone who isn’t interested in gaa except to drink / drug / watch netflix struggles with repeat offences when the youth are locked up.

    Big lol.

    Country is a kip honestly. Something I prefer asking new people I meet rather than the usual shite about work is what they like to do for fun. Honestly almost never get an answer that isn’t them saying “oh my god I feel so boring idk! I like going out / relaxing watching shite”.

    They just usually happen to be well off enough and brought up well enough that it’s the ok kind of going out and sitting in.

    But if you are from a shite home and lack guidance your going out is probably chaos and destruction, and your staying in is probably even worse.

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