The report is a detailed study of recidivism (re-offending) among offenders released from the custody of the Irish Prison Service in 2008. The statistics were produced using a combination of Irish Prison Service and Garda Síochána administrative record.

Some of the key points highlighted in the report were as follows:
• In 2008, just over 50% re-offended within a three-year period of their release date compared with just over 55% in 2007.
• Recidivism was higher for males (51.5%) than females (46.2%).
• Recidivism rates decreased with age, from 56.8% of offenders less than 21 years to 23.1% of offenders aged 61 years and over.