West Yorkshire Probation sees reduction in reoffending again

Reoffending rates in West Yorkshire for 2009/10 have fallen by 9.79% compared with the predicted rates based on 2007/08 figures. This equates to almost 700 fewer offences committed in our region.

The West Yorkshire figures compare very well to the England and Wales results 2.88% decrease in reoffending rates and to the West Yorkshire figures for 2008/09 which saw a decrease of 4.4%. West Yorkshire saw one of the largest drops for 2009/10 in reoffending rates alongside South Yorkshire, West Midlands and Nottinghamshire.

Sue Hall, West Yorkshire Probation Trust Chief Executive, is delighted: “We have all been working hard to protect victims and the wider public and to reduce reoffending rates. It is wonderful to see that our hard work is seeing real results, demonstrating that probation is incredibly effective and the alternative to short prison sentences.

“However, the hard work doesn’t stop there and we’ll be striving to ensure that next year’s figures show a further drop in reoffending rates across the region.”

In West Yorkshire, Bradford saw the largest fall as reoffending rates fell by 16.9%, followed by Calderdale (12.5%), Leeds (7.3%), Kirklees (6.4%) and Wakefield (5.5%).