A FIFTH of criminals in Redditch reoffended within a year of their conviction or release from prison, new figures show.

Charity Catch-22 said reoffending highlights the challenges within our criminal justice system which struggles to "effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders".

Ministry of Justice figures show 387 offenders in Redditch were released from prison, cautioned or handed a non-custodial sentence in the year to September 2022. Of them, 83 went on to reoffend within a year.

This included six under-18s.

The reoffending rate in the area stood at 21.4% – about the same as the year before.

Across England and Wales, the rate rose from 24.3% in 2020-21 to 25.8% in the October 2021 to September 2022 cohort.

Matt Randle, justice director at Catch-22, said: "Proven reoffending rates indicate that the system struggles to effectively punish and rehabilitate offenders, often due to limited resources and structural flaws".

He added a "more rehabilitative focus" in the justice system was crucial to help reduce reoffending.

Reoffending rates across the country also varied significantly depending on both the type of offence and length of sentence. The highest were for theft at 52.3%, and for adults released from custodial sentences of less than 12 months at 55.9%.

Across England and Wales, reoffenders had an average of 3.8 new offences. This was higher in Redditch, with around 5.6 each.

On average, this group had committed 19.5 previous offences.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This Government is committed to a criminal justice system that makes better citizens, not better criminals.

"These statistics are a reminder of the scale of that task, but this new Government is committed to reducing reoffending."