Shocking data shows more than a quarter of Sheffield criminals reoffend within a year

Charity Catch-22 said the reoffending figures highlight the challenges within the criminal justice system which struggles to "effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders".

Ministry of Justice figures show 3,606 offenders in Sheffield were released from prison, cautioned or handed a non-custodial sentence in the year to September 2022. Of them, 1,060 went on to reoffend within a year. This included 46 under-18s.

The reoffending rate in the area stood at 29.4 per cent – up from 25.8 per cent the year before.

Across England and Wales, the rate rose from 24.3 per cent in 2020-21 to 25.8 per cent in the October 2021 to September 2022 cohort.

Matt Randle, justice director at Catch-22, said: "Proven reoffending rates indicate that the system struggles to effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders, often due to limited resources and structural flaws.

"Systemic pressures such as staffing shortages, an overcrowded prison population, and ongoing impacts from Covid have further strained the sector."

He added a "more rehabilitative focus" in the justice system was crucial to help reduce reoffending.

"Brief incarceration often exacerbates existing resettlement challenges, and the limited rehabilitative provisions available can leave them in a worse position upon release,” he said.

"For low-risk offenders, non-custodial sentences have shown greater success in achieving rehabilitative goals.

"However, the lack of meaningful alternatives to custody forces judges to impose custodial sentences despite their high cost, both monetarily and in human terms."

Campbell Robb, chief executive of social justice charity Nacro, said reoffending costs the UK £18 billion per year.

‘The system struggles to effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders’

He said there are “basic building blocks that must be in place for people leaving prison if we want to reduce their risk of reoffending”.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This Government is committed to a criminal justice system that makes better citizens, not better criminals.

"That has started by addressing the crisis in our prisons with the emergency measures set out by the Lord Chancellor last month.

"We are also strengthening the probation services, bringing on 1,000 new probation officers by March 2025. And we will be doing more to bring together prison governors and employers to help get people into work and break the cycle of crime.

"These statistics are a reminder of the scale of that task, but this new Government is committed to reducing reoffending."