HC Deb 27 July 1993 vol 229 cc860-1W
Dr. Lynne Jones

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on provisions under the Children and Young Persons Act 1933 which give powers to the courts to detain under 16-year-olds in secure accommodation and the use to which these powers have been put in the past 15 years.

Mr. Maclean

The Children and Young Persons Act 1933 allows the Crown court, inter alia, to order that 10 to 13-year-olds who have been convicted of murder or manslaughter and 14 to 15-year-olds who have been convicted of murder or manslaughter or other grave

Summary of 10–15 year olds sentenced under Section 53, 1979–91—England and Wales
Year 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991
Offence
Murder 1 1 1 1 3 2 0 2 2 1 0 0 1
Attempted murder 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Manslaughter 1 1 1 1 2 1 3 3 1 1 2 0 3
Wounding or other act endangering life 1 1 1 1 7 4 1 1 8 7 7 2 6
Endangering railway passengers 1 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
Other wounding etc. 1 1 1 1 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 0 0
Total—violence against the person 2 12 10 12 12 7 5 7 12 10 10 2 13
Sexual offences 1 5 7 4 2 6 3 8 6 8 11 10 6
Burglary 3 5 4 2 0 1 12 9 7 11 6 8 4
Robbery 5 5 12 15 11 9 22 22 26 31 15 17 22
Theft and handling stolen goods 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0
Criminal damage (Arson) 2 6 2 7 7 6 11 4 9 10 9 10 6
Drug offences 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Other indictable non-motoring offences 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 0
Total 13 33 35 39 32 29 54 51 60 70 52 48 51
1 A breakdown of the total number of offences of violence against the person is not known for these years.

NoteComparisons with prison receptions suggest there may have been under recording during 1989 and 1990, although this is less likely in 1990.