The Department’s latest statistical bulletin includes re-offending rates for adults and under-17s given a non-custodial disposal at court, a diversionary disposal or released from custody in 2013/14.

Of the 27,069 people included in the 2013/14 cohort, 4,890 (18.1 per cent) re-offended during the one-year observational period, compared to 16.7 per cent in 2010/11.

However, the Department has adjusted the figures to compensate for the different underlying characteristics of those in each cohort.

When characteristics related to re-offending are taken into account, there was a more substantial 3.8 per cent decrease in re-offending since 2010/11 and a 1.9 per cent decrease since 2012/13.

Of the 4,890 who re-offended in 2013/14, over two-fifths (43.3 per cent) committed their first re-offence within the first three months.

Re-offending rates generally increased with the number of previous offences by the offender.

Overall, 11.6 per cent of women and 19.7 per cent of men had re-offended.

The highest re-offending rates were amongst those who had committed a burglary offence (37.6 per cent) or robbery offence (36.3 per cent).