Reconviction rate increases among prisoners

Scottish Liberal Democrat deputy leader and former police officer Wendy Chamberlain MP has today said that more must be done to prevent a “revolving door of reoffending” after new figures show that the reconviction rate for those released from custody has increased to 42.8%.

New figures show that there was a 42.8% rate of reconviction for all offenders released from a prison or young offender institution in 2021-22. This is an increase from 39.6% in 2020-21.

62.8% of those who were given custodial sentences of three months or less were reconvicted after being released in 2021-22.

Wendy Chamberlain said:

“These figures show that much more needs to be done to prevent a revolving door of reconvictions.

“The SNP spent years ignoring the warning signs of prison overcrowding. This has now escalated into a crisis that makes it much tougher for staff to work with prisoners and stop them from reoffending when they are released.

“There’s been a decline in education, training and work activities across the prison estate. These ought to be at the heart of prison life to increase the chances of people making positive contributions to society when they leave.

“Scottish Liberal Democrats want to see a modern prison estate that strikes the correct balance between punishing, rehabilitating and reducing reoffending. To achieve that, the government need to get serious about giving staff the resources they need and easing overcrowding by driving down the use of remand.”