Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 22 October 2020
147. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Justice the degree to which improved legislation has impacted on recidivism; the number of repeated offenders in each crime category in each of the past five years to date; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32218/20]
Amharc ar fhreagraPublic safety is an absolute priority for me as Minister for Justice and Equality. Working to reduce re-offending and minimise the risk of further harm to victims and society, through the implementation of effective evidence-based penal policy, is a key part of that task. However, as the Deputy may appreciate, it is challenging to relate the impact specific legislation has to general re-offending rates as recidivism may be impacted by a number of other variables, such as social influences or other external factors.
A new operating model has been implemented in my Department which has increased capability in the policy space and will ensure that my Department is developing holistic, research-based long-term policy, through research and analysis from multiple sources. It will ensure that we are adopting a proactive and strategic view of justice policy formulation and review, providing “best-in-class” advice in the long-term interest of all citizens.
I am pleased to say we have some statistical evidence available to suggest that the introduction of initiatives introduced to reduce prison re-offending have contributed to a decline in recidivism. The Central Statistics Office (CSO) use data from the Irish Prison Service and An Garda Síochána to develop comprehensive prison re-offending indicators. The 3-year re-offending indicator counts prisoners who re-offended within three years of release from custody, and who secured a court conviction within a further two years. The latest reoffending statistics produced by the CSO demonstrate that prison re-offending rate has been in decline from 2011 to 2017. Looking at the three year re-offending rate, 55.2% of prisoners released in 2014 re-offended within three years of release, an 8.6% decrease on re-offending levels of 63.8% for prisoners released in 2011.
The Deputy will wish to be aware that a number of initiatives were introduced over the past decade to reduce reoffending including Community Return and Community Support Schemes and the Joint Agency Response to Crime (J-ARC). Community Return and Community Support Schemes were introduced in 2011 and aim to increase support for prisoners prior to their release from prison, upon their release, and then for a period after their release in order to break the cycle of offending;
The Joint Agency Response to Crime (J-ARC) is a multi-agency response to the supervision and rehabilitation of offenders which commenced in 2014. The programme aims to target prolific offenders who are responsible for large amounts of crime. In order to reduce crime and enhance public safety, the selected prolific offenders are managed through the integration of policy and practice between the J-ARC agencies.
An example of the impact of legislation in this area includes the Criminal Justice (Community Service) (Amendment) Act 2011 which provides that a court shall consider the appropriateness of a community service order in circumstances where a sentence of imprisonment of up to 12 months is being considered. There has been a consistent increase in the management of community service orders by the Probation Service over the past three years. In 2019, the Probation Service managed 2,791 Community Service Orders, totalling 379,815 hours work, in lieu of 1,247 years in prison, which equated to €3 million of unpaid work. Despite this, the use of short sentences is prevalent with a significant increase in prison committals for persons serving less than three months and, more generally, less than 12 months. The impact of this legislation does need to be considered, including in relation to the number of shorter sentences for offences committed by women and the high incidence of women on remand,
Earlier this year my Department launched the findings from an international evidence review on recidivism and policy responses. This research report is the third in a series of releases to be commissioned and disseminated by the Research and Data Analytics unit in my Department, was prepared by Prof. Ian O’Donnell from the Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice, School of Law, UCD.
The review sought to address a range of questions relating to the factors underpinning recidivist and prolific offending behaviour; public policy interventions that tackle recidivism and prolific offending; and the effectiveness of these interventions and likelihood of successful transplantation to an Irish context.
Key findings of the report include the following:
- Suspended sentences or community service can be more effective in terms of reducing recidivism than short terms of imprisonment.
- Planned and structured early release, including parole, may reduce recidivism.
- Perception of fairness may have an impact on likelihood of recidivism. A perception of procedural unfairness can lead to alienation, resistance and noncompliance whereas a belief that one has been treated fairly may reduce the likelihood of future offending.
- There appears to be a significant treatment effect associated with cognitive behavioural interventions delivered both in community and custodial settings.
The review will constitute a valuable resource for researchers and act as a springboard for future empirical research on best practice in this area and provide a body of evidence essential to inform future policy discussions and development. The full report is available on the website of my Department and builds on the Department’s commitment, outlined in the 2018-2020 Data and Research Strategy, to support the development of more evidence-informed policy making.
I hope the Deputy will understand that the specific information on the number of repeated offenders in each crime category in each of the past five years to date, as requested is not readily available.
