The figures show that two out of three of those given custodial sentences were convicted of an offence again inside 24 months.
The report also showed that over 70 per cent of juveniles sent to the Young Offenders Centre were convicted of another offence within 24 months of being put inside.
Meanwhile, the number of women who reoffended rocketed in comparison to the last time the study was conducted.
However, the study – recognised as one of the largest undertaken of its kind – also showed that reoffending rates were much lower when non-custodial sentences were imposed by the courts.
Chief Probation Officer Brian Heath said: ‘It is more difficult for people to re-establish themselves in the community when they have been to prison, as imprisonment removes people from their jobs and from family life.’
