PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Prisoners: Sexual Offences (26 November 2014)
Question Asked
Asked by:
Mr Toby Perkins (Labour)
Answer
All sexual offences are abhorrent and the most serious offences carry severe maximum penalties. Since 2009, more sex offenders are being sent to custody, and for longer. The average custodial sentence length for all sexual offences has increased from 49.3 months in 2009 to 59.1 months in 2013. This Government has also introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious sexual, or violent, offence and is legislating to end automatic early release for all dangerous offenders, and all for child rapists.
Offenders sentenced to immediate custody at all courts in England and Wales, from 2005 to 2013 (latest data available), by age groups, can be viewed in the following table.
| Offenders sentenced at all courts for sexual offences, England and Wales, 2005 to 2013 (1)(2) | ||||||||||
| Outcome | Age group | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 (3) | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 |
| Immediate custody | 25 and under | 574 | 578 | 579 | 656 | 662 | 766 | 774 | 763 | 718 |
| 26-45 | 1,257 | 1,289 | 1,244 | 1,295 | 1,289 | 1,321 | 1,336 | 1,350 | 1,390 | |
| 46-64 | 680 | 720 | 763 | 797 | 771 | 917 | 981 | 970 | 912 | |
| 65 and over | 178 | 200 | 191 | 204 | 218 | 255 | 322 | 314 | 338 | |
| All | 2,689 | 2,787 | 2,777 | 2,952 | 2,940 | 3,259 | 3,413 | 3,397 | 3,358 | |
| (1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. | ||||||||||
| (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. | ||||||||||
| (3) Excludes data for Cardiff magistrates' court for April, July and August 2008. | ||||||||||
| Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice. | ||||||||||
Answered by:
Sir Mike Penning (Conservative)
3 December 2014
Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.