Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, for what reasons reoffending rates for prison sentences and community sentences are not both counted from the time of sentencing.
The Ministry’s proven reoffending rates are measured from the date of sanction for those receiving a non-custodial sentence and the date of release for those receiving custodial sentences, in line with most international studies.
The Ministry takes this approach because it mainly reflects the period when an offender is most at risk of re-offending in the community.