Rehabilitation, reintegration and reconviction queries: FOI release

Information requested

1. What are the recidivism rates for East Dumbartonshire? - How many people from East Dumbartonshire end up back in prison upon release?

2. What are the recidivism rates for different areas across the East Dumbartonshire Council area?

3. What do the terms ‘rehabilitation’ and ‘reintegration’ mean?

4. What support is available for people in East Dumbartonshire returning from prison?

5. What does prison and reintegration ‘success’ look like to the Scottish Government?

Response

Questions 1&2

The Scottish Government do not collect statistics on recidivism (people returning to criminal behaviour after a previous conviction). Reconviction rates are published which show the proportion of people released from custody who go on to have another conviction within one year of release or from being given a non-custodial sentence. This can be found at: Reconviction Rates in Scotland: 2021-22 Offender Cohort - gov.scot

The Scottish Government publish data on reconviction rates by geography in the Reconviction Rates in Scotland: 2021-22 Offender Cohort which can be found at: supporting tables published alongside the reconviction rates bulletin for people released from custody or given a non-custodial sentence between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2022.

Table 12 in the publication includes reconviction rates for those convicted at a court in Dunbartonshire (East and West combined). Table 13 includes reconviction rates for people who had a home postcode in East Dunbartonshire. However, caution is recommended when using this data as a high proportion (18%) of all people released did not have a postcode in the database. For this reason, they are classed as ‘official statistics in development’.

Question 3

Rehabilitation and Reintegration Meanings:

• Rehabilitation within the justice system aims to reduce reoffending by supporting people to address the underlying causes of their offending behaviour. This can be carried out through interventions such as addiction treatment, mental health support or programmes focused on subjects such as violence reduction, sexual offending behaviour or anger management.
• Reintegration is the process of supporting someone to return to life in the community and become a participating member of society again. This means ensuring people leaving prison can access key services, such as housing, healthcare, benefits and employability support, which evidence shows can reduce the likelihood of a person reoffending and returning to custody.

Question 4

All individuals leaving custody in Scotland, including those released from remand, can access support on release regardless of which local authority they reside in.

People leaving prison following a sentence of 4 years or more (long-term sentences), or who are sentenced to post-release orders, are subject to statutory throughcare (supervision) provided by Local Authority Justice Social Workers for a period determined by their sentence. Justice Social Workers follow the Justice Social Work Services: National Throughcare Guidance.

People leaving custody from a sentence of less than 4 years (short-term sentences) or from remand can opt to have voluntary throughcare support. This can be delivered by Local Authority Justice Social Workers, Upside (the national voluntary throughcare service) or by a third sector provider. Support can begin up to 12 weeks prior to release and continue beyond the prison gate, helping individuals with their reintegration back into the community for up to 12 months.

Question 5

Ensuring that appropriate support is in place for people leaving custody is essential to help them successfully reintegrate into their communities. This is why the Scottish Government works with the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) and other organisations (including the Department of Work and Pensions/NHS) to ensure people leaving custody achieve a safe transition back into their communities following a period in custody.

Meeting a person’s basic needs upon release can help reduce the risk of reoffending, results in less crime, fewer victims and provides safer communities.

About FOI

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