Reoffending rates across Wrexham and Flintshire revealed

In Wrexham, a third of criminals reoffend within a year of their conviction or release from prison.

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

The Ministry of Justice figures show 1,243 offenders in Wrexham were released from prison, cautioned or handed a non-custodial sentence in the year to September 2022. Of them, 423 went on to reoffend within a year. This included 15 under-18s.

In Flintshire, nearly a quarter of criminals reoffended within a year of conviction.

926 offenders in Flintshire were released from prison, cautioned or handed a non-custodial sentence in the year to September 2022. Of them, 220 went on to reoffend within a year. This included 10 under-18s.

While the reoffending rate in Wrexham stood at 34%, in Flintshire it was 23.8% – about the same as the year before.

These are two of the highest rates across England and Wales.

Nationally, the rate rose from 24.3% in 2020-21 to 25.8% 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.

Reoffending rates across the country also varied significantly depending on both the type of offence and length of sentence. The highest were for theft at 52.3%, and for adults released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months at 55.9%.

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

"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."