evidence: Almost half of prisoners released in 2018 went on to re-offend within a year, the latest data has shown. According to the Central Statistics Office (CSO) prison recidivism rates, 48% released in 2018 committed another offence within 12 months, down from 54% in 2011. [...] Statistician Felix Coleman said: "In 2015, 62% of individuals released from custody were linked to a re-offending incident within three years of their release with the most frequent re-offending offence type — 21% of all re-offences — relating to theft and related offences.