Reoffending
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- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity and age group section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity over time section
- 6. Navigate to Reoffences per reoffender by ethnicity section
- 7. Navigate toData sources section
- 8. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- Black offenders had the highest reoffending rate (32.7%) in the year ending March 2018 – the rate for White offenders was 30.6%
- offenders in the Other (including Mixed) ethnic group had the lowest reoffending rate (20.9%)
- in every ethnic group, young offenders had a higher reoffending rate than adults
- White offenders committed the most reoffences per person (4.17 on average)
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows:
- the number and percentage of offenders who reoffended each year
- the average number of reoffences per reoffender
A reoffence is when someone commits another offence within 12 months of being released from custody (or receiving a caution, fine or court order) which then leads to a conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the same 12-month period (or up to 18 months to allow for court proceedings).
The data does not count all reoffences committed during each 12-month period (for example, April 2017 to March 2018). It only counts reoffences committed by offenders who were released from custody or given a caution or non-custodial conviction in that period.
The data includes adult and young offenders (aged 10 to 17 years).
Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place. Numbers of offences per person are rounded to 2 decimal places.
Not included in the data
The data does not include people who could not be matched to the Police National Computer.
The ethnic groups used in the data
Data is shown for 4 ethnic groups:
- Asian
- Black
- White
- Other (including Mixed)
Each offender’s ethnic group is assigned by the police based on appearance.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) for the data.
Figures for April 2015 to March 2016 onwards cannot be compared with figures from earlier years due to a change in the methodology and data source.
Reoffending statistics are produced every 3 months. The annual figures shown on this page are an average of the 4 combined quarters in each year. This means that a reoffender may appear more than once in the annual average figures.
The data may underestimate the true level of reoffending. Official reoffending records are taken from police or courts, but not all crimes are detected and crime is not recorded on one system.
3. By ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | Number of reoffenders | Average number of reoffences per reoffender |
|---|---|---|---|
| All | 29.2 | 125,829 | 4.04 |
| Asian | 24.3 | 6,010 | 3.40 |
| Black | 32.7 | 13,818 | 3.50 |
| White | 30.6 | 103,866 | 4.17 |
| Other including Mixed | 20.9 | 962 | 3.32 |
| Unknown | 5.7 | 1,173 | 2.91 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Reoffending By ethnicity Summary
The data shows that, in the year ending March 2018:
- Black offenders had the highest reoffending rate (32.7%)
- offenders in the Other (including Mixed) ethnic group had the lowest reoffending rate (20.9%) – they also committed the fewest reoffences per person (3.32)
- White offenders committed the most reoffences per person (4.17)
4. By ethnicity and age group
| Young offenders | Adults | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Young offenders % | Young offenders Number of reoffenders | Young offenders Average number of reoffences per reoffender | Adults % | Adults Number of reoffenders | Adults Average number of reoffences per reoffender |
| All | 38.4 | 10,906 | 4.05 | 28.5 | 114,923 | 4.04 |
| Asian | 31.1 | 464 | 3.46 | 23.9 | 5,546 | 3.39 |
| Black | 47.1 | 2,124 | 3.62 | 31.0 | 11,694 | 3.48 |
| White | 39.5 | 8,048 | 4.22 | 30.0 | 95,818 | 4.16 |
| Other including Mixed | 37.4 | 98 | 3.04 | 19.9 | 864 | 3.36 |
| Unknown | 9.9 | 172 | 3.33 | 5.3 | 1,001 | 2.84 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and age group’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and age group’ (CSV)
Summary of Reoffending By ethnicity and age group Summary
The data shows that, in the year ending March 2018:
- 38.4% of young offenders reoffended, compared with 28.5% of adults
- the average number of reoffences per person was almost the same for young offenders (4.05) and adults (4.04)
- Black offenders had the highest reoffending rates out of all ethnic groups for both young people (47.1%) and adults (31.0%)
5. By ethnicity over time
| Asian | Black | White | Other including Mixed | Unknown | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Asian % | Asian Number of reoffenders | Black % | Black Number of reoffenders | White % | White Number of reoffenders | Other inc Mixed % | Other inc Mixed Number of reoffenders | Unknown % | Unknown Number of reoffenders |
| 2006/07 | 25.7 | 9,960 | 35.2 | 22,816 | 32.1 | 229,168 | 23.2 | 1,852 | 7.6 | 2,679 |
| 2007/08 | 25.2 | 10,425 | 35.1 | 24,076 | 31.9 | 233,669 | 22.3 | 1,831 | 8.6 | 2,385 |
| 2008/09 | 25.0 | 10,539 | 34.1 | 23,676 | 32.4 | 227,671 | 21.7 | 1,968 | 11.2 | 2,100 |
| 2009/10 | 24.5 | 9,978 | 33.9 | 22,609 | 31.7 | 207,837 | 21.4 | 1,934 | 11.0 | 1,891 |
| 2010/11 | 24.9 | 9,697 | 34.5 | 21,974 | 32.4 | 199,874 | 21.2 | 1,893 | 10.8 | 1,795 |
| 2011/12 | 24.2 | 8,785 | 34.0 | 20,336 | 32.3 | 186,832 | 21.0 | 1,699 | 9.5 | 1,711 |
| 2012/13 | 24.0 | 7,940 | 34.0 | 18,175 | 31.9 | 165,241 | 21.5 | 1,590 | 8.9 | 1,554 |
| 2013/14 | 23.9 | 7,744 | 34.1 | 17,660 | 32.3 | 158,053 | 22.0 | 1,551 | 8.6 | 1,574 |
| 2014/15 | 23.8 | 7,143 | 33.2 | 16,457 | 31.2 | 140,954 | 20.8 | 1,349 | 7.0 | 1,413 |
| 2015/16 | 24.1 | 6,972 | 33.5 | 16,379 | 30.6 | 128,487 | 20.7 | 1,236 | 6.4 | 1,301 |
| 2016/17 | 24.0 | 6,569 | 33.3 | 15,150 | 30.7 | 115,505 | 21.3 | 1,136 | 6.1 | 1,251 |
| 2017/18 | 24.3 | 6,010 | 32.7 | 13,818 | 30.6 | 103,866 | 20.9 | 962 | 5.7 | 1,173 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity over time’ (CSV)
Summary of Reoffending By ethnicity over time Summary
The data shows that:
- in every ethnic group, reoffending rates remained fairly consistent in the 12 years to March 2018
- Black offenders had the highest reoffending rate in every year shown – offenders from the Other (including Mixed) ethnic group had the lowest
- there was a change in the methodology and data source used from the year ending March 2016 onwards – this means figures before and after this period are not directly comparable
6. Reoffences per reoffender by ethnicity
| Year | Asian | Black | White | Other inc Mixed | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average number of reoffences | Average number of reoffences | Average number of reoffences | Average number of reoffences | Average number of reoffences | |
| 2006/07 | 2.91 | 3.09 | 3.29 | 2.83 | 2.68 |
| 2007/08 | 2.87 | 3.08 | 3.28 | 2.82 | 2.88 |
| 2008/09 | 2.83 | 2.97 | 3.26 | 2.78 | 2.86 |
| 2009/10 | 2.78 | 2.92 | 3.22 | 2.65 | 2.70 |
| 2010/11 | 2.86 | 3.02 | 3.32 | 2.99 | 2.86 |
| 2011/12 | 2.79 | 2.95 | 3.37 | 2.78 | 2.81 |
| 2012/13 | 2.96 | 3.08 | 3.51 | 2.86 | 2.72 |
| 2013/14 | 3.06 | 3.19 | 3.64 | 2.87 | 2.86 |
| 2014/15 | 3.15 | 3.35 | 3.75 | 3.02 | 3.00 |
| 2015/16 | 3.31 | 3.47 | 3.87 | 3.05 | 2.78 |
| 2016/17 | 3.33 | 3.59 | 4.12 | 3.46 | 3.08 |
| 2017/18 | 3.40 | 3.50 | 4.17 | 3.32 | 2.91 |
Download table data for ‘Reoffences per reoffender by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Reoffences per reoffender by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Reoffending Reoffences per reoffender by ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
- in every ethnic group, the average number of reoffences committed per person went up in the 12 years to March 2018
- White reoffenders committed the most reoffences per person in every year shown
- there was a change in the methodology and data source used from the year ending March 2016 onwards – this means figures before and after this period are not directly comparable
7. Data sources
Source
Proven Reoffending Statistics: April to June 2019
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Ministry of Justice
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The government uses reoffending data to develop policies and services aimed at reducing reoffending.
8. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, ethnicity, year, age group, number of offenders, number of reoffenders, number of reoffences, proportion of offenders who reoffend, average number of reoffences per reoffender