Ms Caron McCaffrey:

To relate it back to the schemes I mentioned, the community return scheme has a 91% success rate, in other words, 91% do not reoffend or breach the conditions of their temporary release during the period. That is a phenomenally high figure which is down to the very careful selection of the prisoners to participate in the scheme. We are very careful in choosing the prisoners whom we deem to be suitable for temporary release. The compliance rate is lower for the community support scheme. However, that might be expected because of the complexity of the needs of some of the prisoners who are serving longer sentences, but even then there is a compliance rate of 75%. The other 25% are returned to custody where they breach the conditions in being allowed out early. They then serve every last day of their sentence.