A quarter of Burnley criminals reoffend within a year

Prison reform advocates said further investment in housing, education and employment is needed to address the high rate of criminals re-entering the justice system.

Ministry of Justice figures show 797 offenders were released from prison, cautioned, or handed a non-custodial conviction at court in the year to September 2021. Of them, 213 reoffended, including four juveniles.

It equates a 26.7% rate of reoffending – down from 29.5% the year prior.

Andrew Neilson, Howard League for Penal Reform’s campaigns director, said Government research shows community sentences are more effective at reducing reoffending.

"If someone needs support to move away from crime, they will have better access to the services that can help them if they are being supervised in the community than if they are locked in a prison cell for hours on end with nothing to do.

"Common sense tells us someone is much less likely to be involved in crime if they have a settled home and steady employment.

"Imagine what we could achieve if we stopped building prisons and invested in houses, schools, hospitals and jobs instead."

In Burnley, offenders had an average of 24 previous offences.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “The Government is investing in rehabilitation to stop prison leavers falling back into crime – including tackling drug addiction, increasing the number of offenders in work and providing basic, short-term accommodation on release.

"We’ve also more than doubled the number of offenders wearing alcohol tags and have been GPS tagging thousands more burglars and robbers ultimately keeping our communities safer."