DCS reports continued decline in offender re-admissions to correctional institutions

The Department of Correctional Services (DCS) is reporting a continued decline in offender re-admissions to correctional institutions, which it says reflects the impact of its rehabilitation efforts.

Last year, the DCS recorded 153 offender readmissions out of 575 total admissions, resulting in a 27% readmission rate.

According to DCS, this was a further improvement in the overall number of readmitted offenders when compared with 162 readmissions in 2024, 194 in 2023 and 207 in 2022.

These stand in sharp contrast to the 384 readmissions recorded in 2016.

DCS states that while annual admission totals have also declined over the period, the steady reduction in the number of persons returning to custody points to meaningful gains in the department’s rehabilitation efforts.

The Correctional Services note that although the readmission rate fluctuated between 25% and 30% over the period 2016 to 2025, the overall downward trend in the actual number of offenders readmitted points to the positive impact of the department’s rehabilitation-focused interventions.

The lowest readmission rates during the period were recorded in 2018 and 2023 at 25%.

The DCS attributes this progress to the continued strengthening of programmes aimed at behaviour change, personal development and successful reintegration.

These include educational advancement, vocational skills training, counselling, spiritual guidance and other structured interventions designed to prepare inmates to lead productive, law-abiding lives after release.

Commissioner of Corrections, Brigadier Radgh Mason, says the figures affirm the importance of sustained investment in rehabilitation.

He explains that while recidivism remains a complex challenge, these figures reinforce the importance of continued investment in meaningful rehabilitation and reintegration programmes.

The department notes that recidivism is influenced by several factors beyond the correctional environment, including family support, access to employment, community acceptance and wider social and economic conditions.

However, DCS notes that the sustained reduction in the number of returning offenders is a positive sign that targeted correctional interventions are contributing to improved outcomes.