Prisons: Homeless ex-offenders twice as likely to reoffend

Homeless prison leavers are twice as likely to reoffend than those with a permanent place to live, official figures released for the first time show.

Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) reveal that more than two-thirds of adults in England and Wales who left custody without accommodation in the final quarter of 2022 reoffended within a year.

Social justice charity Nacro warned the data shows the need for “adequate investment in housing” as the government seeks to reduce the numbers of offenders in prisons.

An MoJ spokesperson said the government was “working with partners, including local councils and charities, to avoid anyone being released on to the street.”

Rates of reoffending among homeless prison leavers have remained relatively stable over the two-year period covered by the quarterly data, which covers 2020 to 2022.

While data on reoffending is routinely published by the government, this is the first time it has been broken down by the situations prisoners were released into – revealing the disparities in reoffending among people in different living situations.

Previously, the data was only available via Freedom of Information requests.

The figures show that between October and December 2022, 67% of adults who were homeless when they left prison committed a further offence within a year.

A third of those who were released into settled accommodation went on to reoffend, while 34% of those who moved into probation accommodation reoffended.

Of those who were living in temporary accommodation, 45% committed a further offence.

The MoJ has also published an analysis of reoffending rates by employment status during the same October to December timeframe.

Of those who were in work six weeks after being released from custody, 17% reoffended within a year, compared to 35% of those who were still unemployed.

Homeless prison leavers include those rough sleeping, staying in night shelters, campsites or squatting.

The data covers those who were released from custody within that 2022 period and who were cautioned or convicted for another offence within 12 months.

Sarah, whose name has been changed to protect her identity and is in her 50s, was homeless prior to being convicted for her first offence in 1979 and has been in and out of prison and homelessness since.

She said that after her initial release from prison, she stayed in a squat.

“When I got there, I felt awful, I realised I’d gone right back to the same situation as before I went into prison. I just knew I would end up back in prison – as I would have to do something to eat,” she said.

“If I’d have had somewhere to go after prison it would have taken the stress and strain out of worrying where you’re going to sleep.”

The government is currently seeking to ease overcrowding in jails in England and Wales through a major review of sentencing and a prison early release scheme.

Last week, a man released via the programme warned that ex-prisoners were more likely to reoffend in order to survive without somewhere to live.

Nacro CEO Campbell Robb said: “The vicious cycle of reoffending so many prison leavers find themselves trapped in is often driven by homelessness and unemployment.”

According to government figures, the cost of reoffending in England and Wales is about £18bn a year.

“Put in strictly monetary terms, failing to use evidence-based measures to reduce reoffending is creating a gaping black hole in public finances,” said Mr Robb.

“Tackling reoffending with adequate investment in housing and rehabilitation schemes is imperative if the Government wants to commit to creating a more sustainable justice system and in turn a safer society for us all.”

The MoJ spokesperson said the figures illustrated “the scale of the prison crisis the new Government inherited.”

They added that prisoners at risk of homelessness could be offered up to 12 weeks in temporary housing under a programme which had been rolled out since July 2021.