PEOPLE convicted of a criminal offence in Ayrshire are more likely to reoffend than those anywhere else in Scotland, according to newly published figures.

Scottish Government research found that nearly one in three people convicted of a criminal offence in Ayrshire went on to re-offend within a year of being released from prison or being handed a non-custodial sentence.

The figure for the Ayrshire 'local authority group' - covering North, South and East Ayrshire, and therefore all criminal convictions at the sheriff courts in Kilmarnock and Ayr - was 32.3 per cent, or almost one in three.

In contrast the Scotland-wide reconviction rate was 26.9 per cent, slightly more than one in four, with the Ayrshire figure the highest in the country.

The government data also breaks down reconviction rates into each of the three Ayrshire council areas.

The highest reconviction rate of the three, and the highest of any of Scotland's 32 council areas, was South Ayrshire, with a figure of 33.3 per cent, exactly one in three - a total of 96 criminals.

East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire were both lower than the national average, with figures of 26.4 per cent and 23.7 per cent respectively.

In East Ayrshire, 96 criminals out of 364 went on to reoffend, while in North Ayrshire the total was 85 out of 358.

The government data, published this month, covers the year from April 2020 until March 2021 and is the most recent available on reconviction rates.

A total of 1,855 offenders were released from prison or given non-custodial sentences across Ayrshire as a whole during 2020-21, with 599 of them going on to commit a further criminal offence within 12 months.

Ayrshire MSP Sharon Dowey, the Scottish Conservatives' deputy justice spokesperson, said: “Those living across Ayrshire will be deeply alarmed at the high reconviction rate in our communities.

“This is further evidence that the SNP’s soft-touch justice approach is simply not working and putting more people at risk of being victims of crime.

“The SNP’s approach does not result in criminals being properly punished. All too often the needs of criminals are put above victims and that must change.

"Until victims of crime in Ayrshire are put first and the SNP’s approach changes, then these high re-offending rates are likely to continue.”

Another Ayrshire MSP, Labour's Katy Clark, who is her party's spokesperson for community safety, commented: “These statistics are deeply concerning and expose the extent to which prison gates are becoming revolving doors for far too many offenders.

“We have an overcrowded prison estate, few resources in places for rehabilitation, and very little in the way of harm prevention or support once a person leaves custody.

“We know that short custodial sentences are associated with increased reconviction levels whereas community disposals tend to lead to lower reconviction rates. Yet rather than invest in alternatives or modernise our outdated electronic monitoring system, the Scottish Government has in recent weeks chosen to release prisoners en masse without sufficient preparation.

“To address the concerningly high reconviction rates in North Ayrshire and elsewhere, which is only worsening the crisis of prison overcrowding, we need to move away from the SNP’s sticking plaster approach.

"It is time for the development of sustained alternatives to custody and serious investment in rehabilitation programmes.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “Reconviction rates remain at one of the lowest levels ever recorded.

“We know community-based interventions can be more effective at reducing reoffending than short-term imprisonment, leading to fewer victims and safer communities. That is why we are investing £148 million on community justice this year – an increase of £14 million.

“The Bail and Release from Custody Act improves support for people leaving prison, helping them to successfully resettle in their communities so they will not reoffend.”