UNCOVERED: Figures of Irish recidivism rates discussed in Dáil before summer recess

AT THE LAST session of Dáil Éireann before summer recess, Deputy Noel Grealish posed a question concerning the recidivism rates of released prisoners in Ireland.

The question revolved around the number of individuals released from jail who went on to commit offenses again within three years of their release, and in which the rate of recidivism here compares with other EU countries.

The Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach, Hildegarde Naughton, responded with data and insights, shedding light on the country's reoffending trends and the challenges faced by its justice system.

In her response, Minister Naughton explained that the exact information requested by the Deputy was not available in real-time. The Central Statistics Office, responsible for compiling official statistics on prison reoffending, provided the most recent data as of July 11, 2023.

The report covered the one-year reoffending rates of individuals released from custody in 2020 and the three-year reoffending rates of those released in 2017.

According to the data presented, the one-year reoffending rate for 2020 stood at 41%. This means that 1,137 out of 2,747 individuals released from custody during the reference year reoffended within one year of release.

Looking back further, the three-year reoffending rate from 2011 to 2017 was recorded at 61%, with 1,593 out of 2,604 released individuals reoffending within three years of release.

Minister Naughton pointed out that due to varying ways of calculating reoffending rates, direct comparisons with other EU countries were not possible. Each country employs different time periods and thresholds for defining reoffending events, making it challenging to draw accurate comparisons.