Bernard Durkan (Kildare North, Fine Gael)
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115. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Justice and Equality the extent to which recidivism has been dealt with in the past five years; the degree to which the number of repeat offenders have appeared before the courts; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44476/17]

Charles Flanagan (Laois, Fine Gael)
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It is a priority of the Department of Justice and Equality to reduce crime, and specifically reoffending by those previously convicted. The latest and most accurate set of data in relation recidivism (re-offending) rates for offenders who were given a custodial sentence or community sanction is contained in the fourth set of recidivism studies published by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) in December 2016.  This and the previous three studies have allowed the Irish Prison Service and the Probation Service access to comprehensive data in relation to the rate of recidivism among ex-prisoner. These studies are on the website www.cso.ie.

 The 2016 study reports on:

- Prison Recidivism which is a detailed study on those who were released from a custodial prison sentence in 2010 and whether they were subsequently convicted of a further offence up to the end of 2013 and

- Probation Recidivism which is a detailed study of recidivism among offenders placed under Probation Service supervision in 2010.

The Prison Recidivism Study’s findings indicate that the recidivism or re-offending rate was 45.1% for the particular cohort of offenders released in 2010. When compared with the equivalent cohort from the 2009 study there is a fall in recidivism of 2.4%. This follows the 3.5% decrease that was seen for the 2009 cohort from the previous report.

The Probation Recidivism Study demonstrates that overall almost 63% of offenders did not re-offend within a 3-year period of being placed under the supervision of the Probation Service. It further showed that 66.1% of offenders on Community Service Orders did not re-offend within a 3-year period

My Department recognises that, in order to protect the public and reduce victimisation in Irish society, a joined-up approach to the management of offenders is essential. In this respect, the first Joint Strategy on Offender Management agreed between my Department, An Garda Síochána, the Probation Service and the Irish Prison Service has been operating since September 2016.

An example of this coordinated response is the Joint Agency Response to Crime (J-ARC) involving the four bodies cited above. It is a strategic response to the management of prioritised prolific offenders. Its objectives are to target the 25% of recidivists who are responsible for 75% of crime; to manage nominated prolific offenders in order to reduce crime and; enhance public safety by strengthening the co-ordination and integration of policy, practice and research.

A number of joint agency operational initiatives have been established under J-ARC on a pilot basis. In 2017, J-ARC was extended to manage and address the criminal behaviour of nominated young people aged 16 to 21 years old which resulted in the inclusion of the Departments of Health; Children & Youth Affairs; and Education & Skills, as well as Tusla. 

A further development in this area is the Youth Joint Agency Response to Crime Initiative (Y J-ARC) launched in 2017. This targets young people aged 16 to 21 years who are the most prolific in their offending. It provides an operational approach for co-ordinated and enhanced levels of co-operation between the Probation Service, An Garda Síochána, Irish Prison Service, Irish Youth Justice Service (Oberstown campus), Tusla and the Department of Education and Skills. It places the young person at the centre of the process and identifies his/her needs, strengths and risk; and provides an interagency co-operation and a co-ordinated response in addressing those needs and risks.  

Another example of the response to repeat offending is the Criminal Justice (Burglary of Dwellings) Act 2015. This Act targets repeat burglary offenders through new measures relating to bail and the imposition of consecutive sentencing for repeat offending and aims improve the safety of our communities. It is encouraging to note that the CSO official recorded crime statistics for the twelve months of 2016 show a 30% decrease in burglary when compared to 2015.

Overall, our justice agencies are committed to working together to reduce the level of harm and disruption in communities caused by prolific offenders and to reduce the level of crime committed by the individuals concerned.  Working in collaboration with other statutory bodies and with community and voluntary partners I have every confidence they will achieve an effective outcome.