A quarter of Watford criminals went on to reoffend within a year of their conviction or release from prison, new figures have revealed.
Data from the Ministry of Justice shows that 416 offenders in Watford were released from prison, cautioned or handed a non-custodial sentence in the year to September 2022.
A total of 111 criminals or 26.7 per cent went on to reoffend within 12 months, including nine offenders aged under 18, up from 25.8 per cent the year before.
The figures place the town above the national average reoffending rate of 25.8 per cent.
Charity Catch-22 justice director Matt Randle said the figures highlighted challenges within the criminal justice system which he said struggles to "effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders".
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Across England and Wales, reoffenders had an average of 3.8 new offences while those in Watford had around 3.4 new and 17.6 previous offences.
Reoffending rates across the country also varied significantly depending on both the crime and length of sentence.
The highest were for theft at 52.3 per cent and while 55.9 per cent of adults released from custodial sentences less than 12 months-long went on to reoffend.
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