RE-OFFENDING, RECIDIVISM STATISTICS

RE-OFFENDING, RECIDIVISM STATISTICS

3.

Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Home Affairs for the period of 2003 to 2005, what is the rate of re-offending within five years of release for (i) persons released from prisons in those years; (ii) persons who had completed reformative training in those years; and (iii) persons who were released in those years from institutions that are gazetted under the Children and Young Persons Act for juvenile offenders.

Mr Shanmugam: The Prisons Department measures the recidivism rate as the percentage of local inmates who were released in any particular year and who were subsequently convicted and imprisoned or detained again for a new offence within two years of their release. The two-year recidivism rate is an international norm used by countries such as New Zealand, Scotland and Australia (New South Wales). The two-year recidivism rates for persons released from prison between 2006 and 2008 are 25.1%, 26.5% and 27.3%. The two-year recidivism rates for persons who had completed reformative training between 2006 and 2008 are 20.1%, 23.1% and 28.4%.

MCYS measures the recidivism rate as the percentage of local and foreign offenders who are charged for any offence within three years of being discharged successfully from an MCYS programme. The three-year recidivism rates for these juveniles discharged from 2003 to 2006 are 48.1%, 43.6%, 33.6% and 38.8% respectively.

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