Reconviction Rates in Scotland: 2012-13 Offender Cohort

Footnotes

1. Caution is needed when comparing reconvictions between different disposals. A disposal may affect the reconviction rates, but different disposals are given for different types of offending behaviour, which are themselves also likely to affect reconviction rates.

2. The information in Table 7 is not comparable with figures in publications prior to the 2011-12 Offender Cohort bulletin. The table has been constructed from the "persons proceeded against" datasource, whereas in publications prior to the 2011-12 Offender Cohort bulletin, the table has constructed from a different datasource: the "offences relating to persons proceeded against" datasource.

3. The reconviction rate and average number of reconvictions per offender applies to all offenders subject to an index disposal, irrespective of whether the offender successfully completed their sentence. Information is not available via the Scottish Offenders Index on completion rates for community sentences.

4. The information in Table 10 is not comparable with figures in previous publications. Earlier publications will show fewer prior convictions as these represent cumulative convictions since 1989.

5. Royal Statistical Society (2003) Performance Indicators: Good, Bad, and Ugly Royal Statistical Society Working Party on Performance Monitoring in the Public Services.
http://www.rss.org.uk/Images/PDF/publications/rss-reports-performance-monitoring-public-services-2003.pdf

6. Battersby, J. & Flowers, J. (2004) Presenting performance indicators Eastern Region Public Health Observatory. Obtained from http://www.erpho.org.uk/viewResource.aspx?id=7518

7. Spiegelhalter, D. J. (2005) Funnel plots for comparing institutional performance Statistics in Medicine 24 1185-1202.

8. In Table 15, Community Sentence refers to Community Payback Orders, Community Service Orders, Probation Orders, Restriction of Liberty Orders and Drug Treatment and Testing Orders.

9. Community Payback Orders (CPOs) were introduced by the Criminal Justice and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2010 and came into effect from 1 February 2011. The CPO replaces provisions for Community Service Orders, Probation Orders and Supervised Attendance Orders.