New data shows that recidivism has reached a new high in NSW, despite the government allocating $330 million on its reduction over four years.

Statistics from the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research released earlier this year show 41.4 per cent of the 18,520 adults released from prison in 2017 had re-offended within the year to 2018. The percentage of prisoners who committed another offence within the year has been steadily climbing since 2009, when it hit a low of 32.9 per cent.

For child offenders, the post-prison outcomes are more dire - of the 1335 children released from prison in 2017, 864 - or 64.7 per cent - went on to reoffend within 12 months.

A spokesman for the newly appointed Corrections Minister Anthony Roberts said the four-year funding announced in 2016 was not "fully bedded down" until late last year .