1. Introduction
1.1 This bulletin presents information on the reconviction rates of offenders in Scotland and provides an update to the statistics published in October 2007. Two year reconviction rates for the 2004-05 cohort are presented as well as, for the first time, one year reconviction rates for the most recent cohort available, the 2005-06 cohort.
1.2 The reconviction rates presented include "pseudo reconvictions" which are convictions which take place after the index conviction but which relate to offences committed prior to that date. Estimates of the impact of pseudo reconvictions are given in Section 6.2.
1.3 The two year reconviction rate for the 49,267 offenders released from custody or given non-custodial sentences in 2004-05 was 44.5 per cent, a 0.2 percentage point decrease on the rate for the previous cohort of 44.7 per cent. The chart below shows the time series of the two year and one year reconviction rates for cohorts dating back to 1999-00.
Reconviction rates for offenders released from custody or given a non custodial sentence
Two year and one year rates
