Reconviction rates fall to their lowest level in years
RECONVICTION rates fell sharply last year to their lowest level for at least five years.
Between 2022 and 2023, the rate of reoffending among prisoners released from Les Nicolles with post-custody supervision fell from 22% to 7%, and the rate among offenders with community supervision orders declined from 44% to 25%.
During the five-year period ending in 2023, the reconviction rate was cut in half for prisoners without post-custody supervision, and the rate among offenders sentenced to community service fell from 25% to 16%.
The States publishes the figures to track the percentage of convicted adult offenders who receive another supervised sentence within 24 months of their initial conviction date or release from prison.
The declining percentages represented dozens fewer crimes committed by recent ex-offenders.
‘For public protection purposes, it’s a very welcome downward trend,’ said prison governor John de Carteret. 'We are looking to give people the best possible opportunity to rebuild their lives, play a positive role back in the community, and resist the triggers that caused them to offend in the first place. These figures are really important to us.
‘Overall they tell a good news story, which is testament to our really good offender management model.’
Guernsey’s reconviction figures are typically well below those in the UK, but Mr de Carteret saw no reason why the local rate should not decline further in the future.
Chief probation officer Geraldine Martin urged caution over the figures because the relatively small number of offenders locally could lead to percentages fluctuating easily.
However, she agreed that the latest figures were ‘really positive’ and said they reflected well on Guernsey’s end-to-end supervision model.
‘The person who writes the initial social inquiry report is the same person who supervises the offender throughout the order,’ said Ms Martin.
‘Unfortunately, in the UK, where part of the service was privatised, it has become a total and utter mess, and they have lost lots of good people and the staff are frustrated because it’s such a piecemeal approach. Our end-to-end supervision model allows you really to get to know the people you are working with. You get a deeper and more meaningful knowledge of the individuals. Without that, you’re on the back foot when trying to work out what will work and what might not.’
Information released about the island’s prison population showed that between 2019 and 2023 there had been a marked decrease in the proportion of prisoners convicted of drugs crimes and a marked increase in those convicted of violent or driving offences.
