Nearly two-thirds of re-offences were theft, public order, or drug related in 2023. Key findings:

• Almost six in ten individuals (58%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2020 were convicted of re-offending within three years of release.
• While 77% of adults aged less than 21 re-offended within three years of being released in 2020, just over one-quarter (26%) of those aged 51 years and over re-offended in the same period.
• Individuals linked to custodial sentences relating to Robbery (78%) were the most likely to be convicted of a re-offence within three years of being released.
• More than four in ten individuals (42%) who were released from custodial sentences during 2023 were convicted of re-offending within one year of release.
• Almost two-thirds (65%) of re-offences that took place within a year of releases during 2023 were either Theft, Public Order or Drug related.
• Over half of individuals (52%) released from custody during 2023 and living in the Mid-West region (Clare, Limerick, and Tipperary) re-offended within a year of being released. In contrast, just over one-third (34%) of individuals based in the Mid-East region (Kildare, Louth, Meath, and Wicklow) re-offended in the same period following release.

Details of 3-Year Custodial Re-offending webpage (see also Figure 2.3 and Table 2.2).

In 2020, the highest level of re-offending occurred by individuals released from sentences related to property crime. Eight out of ten (78%) of individuals released from Robbery related offences re-offended within three years of their release and individuals serving sentences related to Burglary (76%) and Theft (72%) also showed prominent levels of recidivism. In the remaining categories containing the highest numbers of releases the re-offending rates were:

• Attempts / threats to murder, assaults, harassments and related offences (58%).
• Controlled drug offences (40%).
• Road and traffic offences (53%).

Details of 1-Year Custodial Re-offending webpage (See also Tables 3.3 & 3.4)

Re-offences mostly take place in Theft, Public Order, and Drug related categories: Of the 1,251 individuals who re-offended within a year of release in 2023, almost two-thirds (65%) re-offended in just three offence groups - Theft (373), Public Order (319), and Controlled Drug (124) related offences. Individuals released from custody in relation to offences linked to Homicide (3), Sexual offences (21), and Assaults (189) were also most likely to re-offend in Public Order (26%), Theft (21%), or Drug related (11%) offences .