Local Crime and Offender Related Research

This research was scoped to provide statistics relating to criminal offenders in Cornwall (and Devon where relevant).
Other areas of particular interest were re-offending behaviour (again locally) and offenders with an ex-services
background. During the research other relevant information was also found which has been included - namely, useful
context relating to the state of the prison system, and drug related crime cost statistics.

All sources used are included at the back of the document for further reading.

The Prison Crisis

At the time of writing the state of the prison system was an increasingly topical and reported issue. It felt appropriate
to provide some of this information as relevant back-drop to the research about offenders.

In 2016-17 there has been consistent high profile stories reported in the media relating to the state of prisons - from
large scale riots, escaped prisoners, deteriorating conditions to fear amongst staff and ongoing funding cuts.

In July, the Chief Inspector of Prisons 2016-17 Annual Report was published. The report highlighted significant
increases in violence, drug use, overcrowding and staff shortages. Of increasing concern, is that these worsening
challenges around safety and staffing often leads to more restricted regimes for prisoners. With less opportunity and
access to the support proven to aid rehabilitation e.g. education and work placements, it is clear that for some
prisoners the system is currently counterproductive.

A number of key statistics from the report are provided below1:

 Of the 29 local prisons and training prisons inspected during 2016-17, 21 of them were judged to be ‘poor’ or ‘not
sufficiently good’ in the area of safety.
 There have been startling increases in all types of violence, the biggest being assaults on staff which, in 2016, rose
by 38% to 6,844 incidents. Of these, 789 were serious - an increase of 26%.
 There were 324 deaths in male prisons in England and Wales in 2016–17, an increase of 44 from the previous year.
A third of these were deemed to be self-inflicted, a 10% rise on the previous year. Levels of self-harm had also
risen, from 32,313 reported incidents in 2015 to 40,161 in 2016 – an increase of 24%.
 Time spent unlocked was particularly poor for young adults in prison – in a survey of prisoners, 30% said they
spent less than two hours a day out of their cell. Only 7% were out of their cell for more than the recommended
10 hours a day.
 This year, around half of all prisons inspected, failed to use all of their learning, skills and work activity places,
needlessly leaving prisoners without work, education or training.
 Too few prisoners had up-to-date assessments or sentence plans to help them plan constructively and progress
towards a successful release. Prisoners did not receive enough support and guidance from offender supervisors
to help them with rehabilitation and resettlement.
 Women’s prisons still continued to perform better than most prisons for men, but women were held further from
home and women’s prisons were more crowded than previously.
 In Youth Offender Institutions it was found that there had been increasing violence, and measures to address this
had reduced time out of cell, so many boys served most of their sentence locked up.
Local Offender Statistics
Recent statistics from Devon & Cornwall Police suggest a 9.7% increase in the number of crimes reported between
2015-16 and 2016-17 across Cornwall & Isles of Scilly2, a similar rise to that seen nationally3. The figures show the
largest annual rise in crimes recorded by the police in a decade. Importantly however, ongoing improvements to
recording practices and expanded offence coverage are understood to largely be driving this increase. On a national
level there are also believed to be some genuine increases in a number of specific crime types3.

The table below provides a breakdown of the reported crimes in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly for April 2016 to March 2017.

Crime Group Recorded Recorded Recorded crime

crime this year crime last year % difference
(2016-17) (2015-16)
Homicide 4 4 0.0%
Violence with injury 3,443 3,375 2.0%
Violence without injury 3,989 3,325 20.0%
Rape 402 308 30.5%
Other sexual offences 556 488 13.9%
Robbery 93 85 9.4%
Burglary Dwelling 695 626 11.0%
Burglary Non-Dwelling 1,117 908 23.0%
Vehicle Offences 1,094 1,179 -7.2%
Shoplifting 1,958 1,694 15.6%
Other Theft 3,432 3,091 11.0%
Criminal Damage 4,223 4,040 4.5%
Public Order Offences 1,265 952 32.9%
Possession of weapons 165 162 1.9%
Trafficking of Drugs 133 218 -39.0%
Possession of Drugs 654 774 -15.5%
Other Offences 367 267 37.5%
Total 23,590 21,496 9.7%

The Reoffending Cycle

Much has been documented to show that prison, in the way it is currently delivered, is neither cost effective nor does
it deliver sustainable benefits in terms of reduced harm to the community. Understanding and addressing the
underlying social, health and economic issues that many offenders face is key to reducing re-offending behaviour.

The following information is based on latest available official data and has been provided by the Safer Cornwall
Community Safety Intelligence Team4. It provides an updated evidence base from that published in the 2016-19 Safer
Cornwall Reoffending Strategy5.

 In Cornwall between July 2014 and June 2015, a total of 3,271 offenders were cautioned, convicted or released
from custody. 670 (20%) of these offenders reoffended, committing one or more proven re-offences within the
following year: 1,963 reoffences or approximately 9% of all recorded crime in the monitoring period.
 11% of the reoffender cohort were young offenders (under the age of 18 years) and their reoffences accounted
for 9% of the total reoffences.
 Reoffending rates for both adults and young people are lower than national averages.
 The latest figures from the Ministry of Justice show that nationally 24% of adult offenders reoffend within 12
months of caution, conviction or release from custody and this rate has remained fairly flat, fluctuating between
24% and 25% since 2004.
 The highest rates of reoffending are amongst offenders convicted of theft offences.
 Young people are more likely to reoffend than adults - the current rate is 25% and this has seen a drop of 4%
compared with the previous year, further to a fairly steady rate of around 30% for more than 5 years.
 Young offenders in Cornwall are significantly less likely to reoffend than the national average (38%). National
juvenile reoffending rates have increased over the last ten years. Offenders convicted of robbery and public order
offences are most likely to reoffend.
 Youth offending cohorts have shrunk considerably year on year and, at 284 young people, our local cohort is now
around a quarter of the size it was ten years ago. This is due to a substantial decrease in the number of offenders
with no previous offences and for those receiving out of court disposals (Youth Restorative Disposal, Youth Caution
or Youth Conditional Caution).

In an attempt to reduce re-offending, the 2010-15 coalition government introduced resettlement prisons, moving
prisoners near to where they live prior to release, strengthening family links and rehabilitation support. There are no
prisons in Cornwall so the nearest resettlement prisons are Exeter, Channings Wood and Eastwood Park (for female
offenders)*.

It is commonly found that those serving short sentences (less than 12 months) have the highest reoffending rates.
Alarmingly in Cornwall, on average across the 3 resettlement prisons 63% of adult offenders released from short prison
sentences in the year to June 2014 went on to reoffend within the next 12 months5.

The 2016-19 Safer Cornwall Reoffending Strategy5 provides evidence on a number of the underlying issues which can
all affect the reintegration and rehabilitation of offenders. A selection of statistics associated with these issues is
provided overleaf, and a fuller diagram of the needs profiles of adult and young offenders is provided in Appendix A.
Statistics are based on a thorough evidence base collated by the Community safety Intelligence Team.

Accessing and maintaining stable accommodation

 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) guidance on evidence-based interventions highlights that support
to secure, manage and maintain employment and suitable accommodation is effective in reducing reoffending
across all segments of the offender population.
 In Cornwall, accommodation is a risk factor linked to reoffending and/or serious harm for 35% of the offender
cohort and is one of the most commonly identified problems for offenders.
 3 out of 4 offenders requiring housing support have support needs in at least 5 other areas, creating additional
barriers and challenges. The most common are needs relating to alcohol, financial management and drugs.

Reducing drug and alcohol use

 Alcohol is the most prevalent risk factor amongst adult offenders - 56% of adult offenders have an alcohol problem
that is linked to risk of serious harm and/or reoffending.
 32% of offenders have a drugs problem that is linked to risk of serious harm and/or reoffending, with the majority
using non-opiate drugs, mostly cannabis.

*
Note: The nearest prison to Cornwall is HMP Dartmoor, a Category C training prison with capacity for 640 prisoners
but this is not classified as a resettlement prison*.
 Offenders with criminogenic needs related to alcohol show higher levels of multiple need and reoffending risk
than those that do not have alcohol-related needs, but they are less complex and chaotic than those with drug
related needs.

Improving physical health & support to offenders with disabilities

 35% of adult offenders are recorded as having a disability. Previous data indicated that dyslexia, mental health
conditions and mobility issues are the most commonly disclosed.

Improving mental health & wellbeing

 14% of adults had been assessed as having some or significant psychiatric problems, although national
research indicates that prevalence may be much higher. 30% of adult offenders have a recorded history of
self-harm and / or suicide attempts. This is higher amongst young offenders.
 There is little difference noted in prevalence rates of mental health problems or personality disorders amongst
short or longer term prisoners, but higher prevalence is noted in women prisoners than men.

Improving skills, education, training & employment

 National Offender Management Service (NOMS) guidance on evidence-based interventions highlights that
support in literacy, numeracy and life skills is effective in reducing reoffending in women offenders and male
offenders at higher risk of reoffending.
 2 out of 3 adult offenders are unemployed. Accommodation problems, drugs and alcohol, lack of
qualifications/skills and health problems, as well as criminal record, are cited as reasons for unemployment.

Improving management of finances, debt and benefit support

 Just over a third of adult offenders have problems with their finances that are linked to their offending
behaviour.
 The majority of short sentence prisoners were on benefits prior to going to prison; many were concerned
about their financial situation on release and struggle with financial management.

Improving outcomes for women offenders

 13% of the offender population is female. Female offenders are more likely to be involved in abusive
relationships (69%), to be opiate users (20%) and to have parental responsibility (43%).

Improving attitudes, thinking & behaviour

 Thinking and Behaviour underlies most other risk factors for adult offenders and is the most common risk
factor associated with a young person’s reoffending.
 Research into short-sentence prisoners indicate that they want help to address offending behaviour but
reoffenders demonstrate institutionalisation and fatalism about their ability to change.

Reducing reoffending impact on families & improving relationships

 51% of adult offenders are in abusive relationships – 84% are perpetrators, but 30% identify as victims of
abuse. 54% of female offenders are victims of abuse.
 34% of male offenders and 43% of female offenders have parental responsibility.
 The combination of risk factors that make up the “toxic trio” (drugs/alcohol, mental health problems and
domestic abuse) is evident for 17% of the adult cohort and around a quarter of young offenders identified as
at medium to high risk of reoffending.

Increasing the contribution of Restorative Justice

 Restorative justice enables victims to meet or communicate with their offender to explain the real impact of
the crime. Research shows a significant impact on reducing reoffending, at least 14%, through 'in depth' RJ
 creating significant changes in offenders' attitudes and beliefs - contributing to their employability and
desistance from crime.

The breadth and range of these issues, as well as the complexity and connected nature, highlights the significant
challenges faced by those supporting offenders.

Evidence collated by the Cornwall Intelligence Group in June 2017 found there to be a rise in the number of individuals
and families presenting to services with complex and overlapping problems with alcohol, drugs, homelessness, mental
health conditions and/or an offending history. These individuals and families place high demands on services all of
which are experiencing budget pressures6.

The evidence also acknowledged that changes in crime trends over the last few years had shifted the focus to tackling
more complex crime and hidden harms (including sexual and drug-related exploitation, serious and organised crime,
cybercrime), all of which impact on the most vulnerable in the community6.

Reoffending – by Crime Type

Although not local data, analysis has been carried out on the rates of re-offending by crime type. The chart below,
taken from Office for National Statistics reporting7 highlights the proportion of offenders who commit a proven
reoffence by offence type.

Proportion of offenders in England and Wales who commit a proven reoffence, by crime type and age (July 2014 to
June 2015)7

The chart shows rates of reoffending to be greater than 40% for a number of offences, particularly amongst juvenile
offenders.
Interestingly, amongst adults between 2004 and 2015 the offence category which saw the largest decrease in
reoffending rates was ‘Fraud’ (-9.6 percentage points). In the juvenile cohort the largest decrease was against
‘Summary Motoring’ offences (-7.7pp)7.

The largest increase in reoffending rates amongst adults was for ‘Public Order’ offences (+5.8pp), whereas amongst
juvenile offenders it was for those with a ‘Theft’ offence (+11.1pp)7.

Ex-service offenders
One area of interest for this research was offenders with an ex-service background. Much has been written on the
prevalence of ex-service personnel in prisons and it has periodically received considerable media coverage. From a
brief review of the literature it is clear that the underlying data used in the reporting has varied in its reliability, often
relying on extrapolations, adding an element of uncertainty to the numbers.

The number of ex-service personnel in the UK is not recorded centrally, but estimates have suggested that there are
approximately 3.8 million ex-service personnel in England, equating to 9.1% of the population8. The Ministry of
Defence’s Defence Analytical Services and Advice (DASA) estimated that, in the 12 months prior to September 2010,
18,240 service personnel left the regular forces9.

In 2010 the British Legion undertook a literature review of UK veterans and the criminal justice system10. The review
highlighted a lack of truly reliable research on the subject of veterans and the criminal justice system. It also critiqued
a number of attempts to identify the number of veterans in UK prisons with significantly varying estimates. It
concluded that the most reliable evidence at the time (carried out by DASA) suggested there were 2,820 veterans in
England and Wales prisons, 3.5% of the total prison population11.

Using these figures, the review further concluded that veterans were 30% less likely than non-veterans to be in prison
in England and Wales; a similar finding to comparative studies carried out in the United States.

In January 2014 the UK government announced a review into the rehabilitation needs of ex-Armed Services personnel
convicted of criminal offences and given a custodial or community sentence. The review also concluded the estimate
of 3.5% to be the most reliable figure for the number of ex-service personnel in prisonError! Bookmark not defined..

The review drew upon an additional 2010 DASA study which estimated that almost all (99.6%) ex-service personnel in
prison were male, and over half (51%) were over 45 years old. It highlighted that ex-service personnel in prison were
more likely to be serving their first custodial sentence and serving longer sentences than the general prison population.
This is thought to be due to differences in offence type (more likely to be in prison for violence or sexual offences).
The most common offence type that ex-service personnel in prison have committed is violence against the person
(33%), followed by sexual offences (25%)12.

The government’s assessment of the specific needs of ex-service personnel in the justice system collates considerable
evidence around issues described earlier in this report: mental and physical health, substance misuse,
accommodation, finance, education and employment. The review also draws upon international case study evidence
to explore what works in rehabilitating ex-service personnel. This review along with the Royal British Legion’s own
submission to government13 would both be worth closer study if planning rehabilitation activities specifically targeted
at ex-service personnel.

Both documents are available here:

  UK government: The needs of ex-service personnel in the criminal justice system -
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-needs-of-ex-service-personnel-in-the-criminal-justice-
system
 Royal British Legion: Response to government review -
http://media.britishlegion.org.uk/Media/2263/legion-submission-rory-stewart-review-of-veterans-in-the-
criminal-justice-system.pdf

Other Relevant information

Although now a little dated, statistics from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse provide some
compelling insight into the cost/benefit relationship between treatment and crime14:

 A typical addict spends around £1,400 per month on drugs, 2.5 times the average mortgage hence the
common associated with committing crime to pay for drugs.
 Heroin, cocaine or crack users commit up to half of all acquisitive crimes – shoplifting, burglary, robbery, car
crime, fraud, drug dealing.
 Between them, every ten addicts not in treatment in 2010-11 committed: 13 robberies and bag snatches, 23
burglaries, 21 car-related thefts and more than 380 shoplifting thefts.
 It is estimated that any drug addict not in treatment costs society an average of £26,000 a year.
 Every £100 invested in drug treatment prevents a crime.
 It is estimated that every £1 spent on drug treatment saves £2.50 to society

Slide taken from http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/vfm-crimepresentationvfinal.pdf

Appendix A – Adult Offender Needs Profile

Source: Safer Cornwall Reoffending Strategy 2016-19, accessed via http://safercornwall.co.uk/crime-in-your-area/

Appendix A – Young Person Offender Needs Profile

Source: Safer Cornwall Reoffending Strategy 2016-19, accessed via http://safercornwall.co.uk/crime-in-your-area/

Information Sources
1
HM Chief Inspector of Prisons for England and Wales, Annual Report 2016 –17, 18th July 2017
https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmiprisons/wp-content/uploads/sites/4/2017/07/HMIP-AR_2016-17_CONTENT_11-
07-17-WEB.pdf
2
Devon & Cornwall Police, Crime Figures April 2016-March 2017
https://www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/your-right-to-information/our-people/our-performance/crime-figures/
3
Office for National Statistics, Crime in England and Wales: year ending Mar 2017, July 2017
https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmar2
017
4
Evidence provided by Strategic Intelligence and Performance Manager from Safer Cornwall Community Safety Intelligence
Team [email dated Fri 18/08/17 16:38]. Data from Office for National Statistics, Proven reoffending statistics: July 2014 to June
2015, July 2017. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/proven-reoffending-statistics-july-2014-to-june-2015
5
Safer Cornwall, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly Reducing Reoffending Strategy 2016-2019, June 2016
http://safercornwall.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/dlm_uploads/2017/07/Safer-Cornwall-Reoffending-Strategy-2016-2019.pdf
6
Cornwall Intelligence Group, the Changing Face of Cornwall: Draft headline summary of local evidence, June 2017
7
Office for National Statistics, Proven Reoffending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin July 2014 to June 2015, published April 2017
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/611174/proven-reoffending-2015-q2.pdf
8
Office for National Statistics, Population Trends: Winter 2009, vol. 138, 2009
9
Defence Analytical Services and Advice, United Kingdom defence statistics, 2010
10
The Royal British Legion, Literature Review: UK Veterans and the criminal justice system, 2010
http://media.britishlegion.org.uk/Media/2280/litrev_ukvetscrimjustice.pdf
11
Defence Analytical Services and Advice, Estimating the proportion of prisoners in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces
- further analysis, September 2010
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/280048/15-september-2010.pdf
12
Defence Analytical Services and Advice, Estimating the proportion of prisoners in England and Wales who are ex-Armed Forces
– Further Analysis, 2010
13
Royal British Legion, Review of veterans within the criminal justice system – Submission to government, 2014
http://media.britishlegion.org.uk/Media/2263/legion-submission-rory-stewart-review-of-veterans-in-the-criminal-justice-
system.pdf
14
National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse, Estimating the crime reduction benefits of drug treatment and recovery,
2012 accessed via http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/vfm-crimepresentationvfinal.pdf