A majority of young inmates reoffend within three years of being released from prison, according to new figures released by the Central Statistics Office (CSO).
The latest prison reoffending statistics show that reoffending declines with age, and that while 84% of young adults under 21 reoffended within three years, less than one third (31%) of 50 year olds reoffended in the same period.
Six in ten of those released from jail sentences in 2018 had reoffended by 2021.
42% of those released from prison in 2021 had reoffended within a year.
Burglars (61%), robbers (57%) and those convicted of public order offences (58%) were most likely to commit further crimes.
Half of those released from prison in 2021 who were living in the midlands - Laois, Longford, Offaly and Westmeath - reoffended within a year of release, while for those living in Kildare, Louth, Meath and Wicklow, the recidivism rate was just over a third (34%) for the same period.
Overall, the CSO said the reoffending rate for 2021 (42%) has slightly increased when compared to 2020 (41%) as has the three-year rate.
