This summer, we're launching a new series called Audit to Impact.
The series looks beyond the publication of our reports to explore:
✔️ What we examined
✔️ What we found
✔️ What we recommended
✔️ What happened next
✔️ The impact that followed
Our first feature revisits our report Reducing Adult Reoffending in Northern Ireland.
The full report is available here
Background to this report
This 2023 report looked at strategies from the Department of Justice and other organisations aimed at diverting offenders away from crime.
The NI Executive previously identified a reduction in reoffending as a key objective, although reoffending rates had remained relatively consistent.
What did the report find?
While noting the challenging nature of reducing adult reoffending, our report found weaknesses in strategic oversight, cross-government coordination and outcomes measurement.
We also highlighted the importance of sentencing policy and the availability of effective community-based alternatives to short-term custody and custodial remand (where defendants are retained while awaiting trial or sentencing).
What did we recommend?
We recommended that the Department provide stronger leadership through the development of a cross-government strategy for reducing offending and reoffending, supported by clearer governance arrangements, improved use of performance information and better evaluation of existing interventions.
What happened next?
Since our report was published, the Department of Justice has taken a number of steps to strengthen system-wide coordination and accountability, including:
Beginning development of a cross-executive Strategy for Reducing Offending and Reoffending
Work on a short-term cross-departmental Strategic Framework.
Launching a further review of sentencing in January 2026.
Extending the use of Enhanced Combination Orders (ECOs), an intensive community-based sentencing option which combines probation supervision with unpaid work and targeted rehabilitative interventions.
Ongoing development of a new electronic monitoring model (with potential role as an alternative to custody and remand).
Work with the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) to develop an outcomes dashboard.
What was the impact?
Taken together, these actions represent a tangible response to recommendations aimed at:
Strengthening governance, policy coherence and analytical capability to support future decision-making.
Expanding alternatives to short-term custody and remand, although further development remains subject to funding.
Further work will be required to demonstrate sustained improvements in reoffending outcomes.