More than a third of young offenders in south and west Dorset are back in trouble with the law within a year, according to a Ministry of Justice report.

From October 2015 to September 2016, 81 young offenders either left custody, received a non-custodial conviction or received a caution.

Of those, 25 committed a proven offence within a year.

Each reoffender committed an average of 2.35 offences within this period.

The 81 young offenders, aged under 18, also had 318 previous convictions between them.

In England and Wales, 42 per cent of juvenile offenders committed another crime within a year, committing an average of 3.9 offences each.

The Ministry of Justice says that, since the figures only measure offences resulting in convictions or cautions, this could be a significant underestimate of the true level of reoffending.However Law Society youth justice practitioner Greg Stewart said the way that juvenile crime is handled could be behind the apparent high reoffending rate.

Mr Stewart, a practising defence lawyer for 25 years, said children tend to only appear in court for more serious crimes, rather than minor misdemeanours.He said that budget cuts to local youth programmes have also contributed to the problem.

He said: “The savings that will have been made by the reduced charging rates are not being reinvested in rehabilitating the more vulnerable repeat offenders.”

In England and Wales, 42 per cent of juvenile offenders committed another crime within a year, committing an average of 3.9 offences each.

Youngsters were marginally more likely to reoffend than adults.

In Weymouth and Portland 37 per cent of 826 adult offenders reoffended over the same period and in West Dorset 26 per cent of 474 adult offenders reoffended over the same period.

Nationally, 29 per cent of adults reoffended.

The Standing Committee for Youth Justice, members of which include Barnardo’s and the NSPCC, says the harsher the punishment, the more likely under-18s are to reoffend.

Deputy chairman Penelope Gibbs said: “If we want to reduce the reoffending of children we need to try and keep them out of the formal criminal justice system and out of prison.

“We instead need to address the trauma, mental health problems and behavioural difficulties which lead to them committing crime in the first place.”

Rory Geoghegan, head of criminal justice at think-tank the Centre for Social Justice, said that if a young person ends up in the criminal justice system, rehabilitation programs that foster strong community links can also prevent reoffending.

He said: “We can make better use of the time served on a sentence by plugging young people into positive and trusted networks and organisations, such as community centres and youth organisations.”

David Webb, Service Manager for Dorset Combined Youth Offending Service, added: “We work hard with young people to prevent and reduce their offending. We also have a good relationship with our local courts, building their confidence in the way we supervise young people in the community.”