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Statistical Bulletin CrJ/2001/1
Reconvictions of Offenders discharged from Custody
or given Non-Custodial Sentences in 1995, Scotland

5.5 Those offenders who were discharged from a custodial sentence (67 per cent) or given probation (63 per cent) were on average more likely to be reconvicted within two years than those given community service (50 per cent) or a monetary penalty (42 per cent). Offenders discharged from custody were much more likely to acquire a custodial reconviction: nearly half (48 per cent) were reincarcerated within two years.

Persons released from a custodial sentence or given a non-custodial sentence in 1995
Percentage reconvicted within 1 to 4 years, by index disposal and crime in 1995

Table 5

Index disposal and index crime in 1995	Total number (=100%)	Percentage reconvicted within:				Percentage with a custodial reconviction within:
Index disposal and index crime in 1995	Total number (=100%)	1 year	2 years	3 years	4 years	1 year	2 years	3 years	4 years
All offenders	54,712	33	45	51	54	10	14	17	18
Index disposal in 1995:
Discharged from custody	6,394	53	67	73	76	36	48	53	56
Community service order	2,587	36	50	56	59	11	17	20	21
Probation	2,726	52	63	68	71	19	28	32	34
Monetary	34,569	30	42	48	51	5	8	11	12
Other	8,166	23	33	38	41	4	7	8	9
Index crime in 1995:
Violent crime	12,526	28	40	47	51	8	12	14	16
Sexual crime	537	12	18	23	28	4	7	8	10
Dishonesty	18,345	39	50	55	58	15	21	24	26
Criminal damage	3,610	29	42	48	51	5	8	10	12
Drug offences	4,650	25	39	47	51	5	9	11	13
Breach of the peace	13,570	34	46	52	56	10	14	17	18
Other crime	1,474	37	48	55	57	10	16	19	21

Persons released from a custodial sentence or given a non-custodial sentence in 1995
Percentage reconvicted within two years, by index disposal, index crime and number of reconvictions

Table 6

Index disposal and index crime in 1995	Total number (=100%)	Percentage with following number of reconvictions within 2 years:				Average number of reconvictions⁽¹⁾	Average number of custodial reconvictions⁽¹⁾


		None	1 or 2	3-10	Over 10
		None	1 or 2	3-10	Over 10
All offenders	54,712	55	29	15	1	2.6	0.7
Index disposal in 1995:
Discharged from custody	6,394	33	33	32	2	3.3	1.9
Community service order	2,857	50	33	16	1	2.6	0.7
Probation	2,726	37	33	29	2	3.3	1.1
Monetary	34,569	58	29	12	*	2.3	0.4
Other	8,166	67	23	9	*	2.4	0.4
Index crime in 1995:
Violent crime	12,526	60	29	11	*	2.2	0.6
Sexual crime	537	82	15	3	*	1.9	0.6
Dishonesty	18,345	50	28	21	1	3.1	1.1
Criminal damage	3,610	58	29	12	*	2.3	0.4
Drug offences	4,650	61	30	8	*	1.9	0.4
Breach of the peace	13,570	54	31	14	1	2.5	0.5
Other crime	1,474	52	29	18	1	2.9	0.6

(1) Average for offenders who had at least one reconviction within two years.

5.6 The relatively small number of offenders with a sexual crime as their index crime had the lowest reconviction rates on average (18 per cent reconvicted within two years) while those with a crime of dishonesty had the highest (50 per cent reconvicted within two years). Many offenders acquire convictions for a variety of crimes. For example, Table 7 shows that, with the exception of those convicted of fraud, between 8 and 12 per cent of offenders with an index conviction in 1995 for one or other of the dishonesty crime categories were reconvicted for a drugs offence within two years.

Persons released from a custodial sentence or given a non-custodial sentence in 1995
Percentage reconvicted within two years for selected crimes, by index crime in 1995

Table 7

Index crime in 1995	Total number (=100%)	Any crime	Percentage with a reconviction within 2 years for:								Serious violent crime⁽¹⁾	Serious crime⁽¹⁾
Index crime in 1995	Total number (=100%)	Any crime	Same crime	Violent crime	Sexual crime	House- breaking	Disho- nesty⁽²⁾	Criminal damage	Drug offences	Breach of the peace	Serious violent crime⁽¹⁾	Serious crime⁽¹⁾
All offenders	54,712	45	21	17	*	6	21	6	7	24	3	6
*Violent crime*
Serious assault	821	40	2	20	*	4	13	5	7	22	5	9
Handling weapons	1,256	49	8	22	1	6	20	7	10	28	4	7
Robbery	550	61	8	31	*	13	33	8	8	29	13	18
Simple assault	9,686	46	16	19	*	3	11	6	5	24	2	4
Other violence	164	23	5	13	-	2	7	1	1	13	1	1
*Crimes of indecency*
Sexual assault	134	19	4	13	5	1	6	1	1	7	4	7
Other indecency	403	18	5	6	6	1	5	2	1	9	1	4
Prostitution	237	81	73	11	-	2	26	1	9	24	1	3
*Crimes of dishonesty*
Housebreaking	2,390	68	29	27	*	29	45	10	12	28	6	17
Theft OLP	1,258	65	21	25	1	16	46	9	10	25	5	11
Theft of motor vehicle	1,366	62	25	26	*	13	44	9	10	26	6	14
Shoplifting	3,634	59	36	17	*	7	47	5	8	22	2	5
Other theft	3,973	50	18	16	*	9	34	6	8	21	3	7
Fraud	3,234	19	4	5	*	1	10	2	2	8	*	1
Other dishonesty	2,490	43	11	13	*	8	28	5	9	17	2	7
*Criminal damage*
Fireraising	117	38	1	15	2	9	14	8	4	20	4	8
Malicious & reckless conduct	3,493	42	10	18	*	4	13	10	5	26	2	4
*Other*
Crimes against public justice	1,211	42	22	15	*	4	21	5	8	18	3	7
Drug offences	4,650	39	18	10	*	3	12	4	18	14	2	5
Breach of the peace	13,570	46	33	19	*	3	14	8	5	33	2	4

(1) See Annex note 12 for definition.
(2) Excludes housebreaking.

5.7 The differences observed in average reconviction rates for different types of index disposal do not hold once the age, sex and particularly the number of previous convictions of the offenders involved are taken into account. As noted before, these are all factors strongly associated with the likelihood of reconviction. Table 8 shows that for all types of disposal, and for all sex and age groups, the percentages of offenders with over 10 previous convictions who were reconvicted within two years — typically over 85 per cent - were all fairly similar. This was also broadly the case for offenders with smaller numbers of previous convictions. In other words, the number of previous convictions held by an offender appeared to be the dominant factor in terms of the likelihood of reconviction. The main exception to this pattern was for offenders with no, or only one or two, previous convictions who were given probation. These offenders, particularly those in the younger age groups, had higher reconviction rates than offenders of the same age and with a similar previous conviction history who had other types of index disposal, even those discharged from custody. However, it should be noted that comparisons of reconviction rates for different types of disposal are complicated by the differential effect which pseudo reconvictions can have; see section 9.

Persons released from a custodial sentence or given a non-custodial sentence in 1995
Percentage reconvicted within two years, by index disposal, age and number of previous convictions

Table 8

Index disposal in 1995 by age	Males					Females
	Total number	Number of previous convictions				Total number	Number of previous convictions
		Number of previous convictions					Number of previous convictions
		None	1 or 2	3-10	Over 10		None	1 or 2	3-10	Over 10
All offenders	47,023	27	43	65	86	7,689	18	39	63	82
Age under 21	12,335	47	64	80	90	1,578	28	51	73	85
Age 21-25	11,884	21	39	62	84	1,788	16	41	66	83
Age 26-30	8,180	17	37	64	86	1,447	16	40	63	82
Age over 30	14,624	14	33	60	86	2,876	13	32	58	81

Discharged from custody	6,091	24	48	72	88	303	16	54	68	87
Age under 21	1,287	59	71	85	91	38	(17)	(100)	(75)	(83)
Age 21-25	1,823	18	44	68	87	100	(7)	(44)	73	81
Age 26-30	1,320	12	41	72	87	72	(29)	(44)	(72)	87
Age over 30	1,661	12	36	64	90	93	18	(33)	56	(95)

Community service order	2,560	34	48	67	84	297	17	37	63	(80)
Age under 21	892	59	66	83	87	52	27	(42)	(73)	(67)
Age 21-25	655	16	43	59	85	75	17	(44)	74	(75)
Age 26-30	441	18	39	60	84	59	28	33	(40)	(100)
Age over 30	572	16	34	65	(71)	111	9	33	(54)	-

Probation	2,239	51	62	74	88	487	36	46	68	90
Age under 21	933	75	82	86	93	126	57	68	85	(100)
Age 21-25	450	29	53	73	86	112	33	36	66	(88)
Age 26-30	307	25	41	74	90	96	15	35	75	(82)
Age over 30	549	17	46	62	85	153	25	41	60	(100)

Monetary	30,116	26	42	63	84	4,453	17	40	63	81
Age under 21	7,322	43	62	78	91	848	26	51	73	(88)
Age 21-25	7,872	22	38	61	81	1,061	16	42	67	82
Age 26-30	5,329	17	38	61	84	865	17	43	62	85
Age over 30	9,593	15	33	60	86	1,679	12	34	58	76

Other	6,017	26	39	58	76	2,149	17	32	56	71
Age under 21	1,901	44	64	73	78	514	27	40	66	(75)
Age 21-25	1,084	18	30	57	76	440	14	37	50	85
Age 26-30	783	16	27	53	83	355	10	33	58	61
Age over 30	2,249	12	29	53	70	840	12	24	54	65

Percentages in brackets are based on less than 20 offenders.

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Statistical Bulletin CrJ/2001/1 Reconvictions of Offenders discharged from Custody or given Non-Custodial Sentences in 1995, Scotland

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Statistical Bulletin CrJ/2001/1
Reconvictions of Offenders discharged from Custody
or given Non-Custodial Sentences in 1995, Scotland