§ 33. Mr. RendelTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the incidence of re-offending of those sentenced to(a) community sentences and (b) fines in the last five years. [47095]
§ Mr. Keith BradleyInformation on re-offending rates, as opposed to reconviction rates, for persons sentenced to community sentences and fines is not collected. Re-offending rates are not normally measured as they rely on the self-reporting of offending by offenders. Such an approach can lead to questions over the reliability of data based on individuals' recollection and willingness to tell an official source about their offending behaviour.
However, information on reconviction rates for persons convicted of a standard list offence and sentenced to a community penalty or fine is collected. The reconviction rate is normally measured over a period of two years from the commencement of the community penalty or the date a person receives a fine. The reconviction rates are shown in the table. These rates include convictions for offences committed prior to the offences for which a financial or community sentence was imposed.
Reconviction rates for persons commencing community sentences or fined for a standard list offence and reconvicted within two years.
Reconviction rates1 for persons commencing community sentences or fined for a standard list offence and reconvicted within two
years.
Percentage reconvicted within two years All community penalties Persons fined 1994 54 45 1995 56 43 1996 56 36 1997 55 38 1998 56 35 1Unadjusted for factors which are known to have an impact on reconviction, such as previous criminal history, age, gender, and offence.