HC Deb 28 February 1994 vol 238 cc582-5W
Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many 15-year-old girls were found guilty in (i) magistrates courts and (ii) Crown courts in(a) 1992 and (b) 1993; and for which offences;

(2) how many 15-year-old girls were cautioned or found guilty in (a) 1992 and (b) 1993; and for which offences;

(3) how many 15-year-old boys were cautioned or found guilty in (i) magistrates courts and (ii) Crown courts in (a) 1992 and (b) 1993; and for which offences;

(4) how many 15-year-old boys were cautioned or found guilty in (a) 1992 and (b) 1993; and for which offences.

Table A: number of 15-year-old females cautioned and/or found guilty of all offences at all courts by type of offence and type of court
England and Wales 1992
Found guilty
Offence Cautioned Magistrates' courts Crown Court Total cautioned or found guilty
Indictable offences
Violence against the person 786 173 3 962
Sexual offences 7 2 9
Burglary 188 69 5 262
Robbery 22 26 9 57
Theft and handling stolen goods 4,713 332 5,045
Fraud and forgery 98 6 104
Criminal damage 41 20 3 64
Drug offences 94 4 98
Other (excluding motoring offences) 24 26 50
Motoring offences 1
Total 5,973 658 20 6,651
Summary offences
Offences (excluding motoring offences) 837 155 992
Motoring offences 1 9 9
All offences 6,810 822 20 7,652
1 Not applicable.

Table B: number of 15-year-old males cautioned and/or found guilty of all offences at all courts by type of offence and type of court
England and Wales 1992
Found guilty
Offence Cautioned Magistrates' courts Crown Court Total cautioned or found guilty
Indictable offences
Violence against the person 1,783 692 26 2,501
Sexual offences 284 44 16 344
Burglary 2,213 1,415 64 3,692
Robbery 79 161 48 288
Theft and handling stolen goods 8,784 1,843 14 10,641
Fraud and forgery 196 40 236
Criminal damage 402 211 19 632
Drug offences 676 70 4 750
Other (excluding motoring offences) 308 215 19 542
Motoring offences 1 74 1 75
Total 14,725 4,765 211 19,701
Summary offences
Offences (excluding motoring offences) 4,791 1,718 6 6,515
Motoring offences 1 380 2 382
All offences 19,516 6,863 219 26,598
1 Not applicable.

Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many incidents of self-harm involving 15-year-old girls on remand in penal custody were recorded in each month of 1993; and in which institutions these incidents occurred;

(2) how many incidents of self-harm involving 15-year-old boys on remand in penal custody were recorded in each month of 1993; and in which institutions these incidents occurred.

Mr. Maclean

Information for 1992 is given in the tables. Data for 1993 will not be available until autumn 1994.

Mr. Peter Lloyd

Responsibility for these matters has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.

Letter from Derek Lewis to Ms Joan Ruddock, dated 28 February 1994:

The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent questions about self-harm by 15 year olds in prison custody.

The information you have requested is not routinely collected centrally, and could not be obtained except at disproportionate cost.

Ms Ruddock

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) how many 15-year-old girls were remanded in custody pending trial or sentence in 1993 and received custodial sentences at the conclusion of their trial;

(2) how many 15-year-old boys were remanded in custody pending trial or sentence in 1993 and received custodial sentences at the conclusion of their trial.

Mr. Maclean

The latest information is for 1992 and is provisional. During that year 377 males aged 15 were received as untried or convicted unsentenced by a Prison Service establishment in England and Wales, of whom 141

Provisional Receptions of 15-year-old males into prison service establishments, England and Wales each Month by Offence in 19932
Month Violence against the person Sex offences Burglary Robbery Theft and handling Other offences Offence not recorded Total offences
January 3 1 11 2 6 5 1 29
February 4 2 10 4 14 2 1 37
March 4 3 14 7 14 6 2 50
April 1 13 6 10 9 39
May 6 1 22 6 7 7 49
June 3 15 4 19 3 2 46
July 1 2 18 7 20 6 1 55
August 8 15 21 5 2 51
September 1 22 6 13 37 2 51
October 5 18 7 13 6 1 50
November 7 26 9 9 4 3 58
December 3 18 3 8 3 3 38
Total 46 9 202 61 154 63 18 553
1 Aged 15 years as at date of sentence.
2 Excludes those committed in default of payment of a fine.
3 Includes 2 inmates received for drugs offences.

Provisional receptions of 15-year-old females1 into prison service establishments, England and Wales each month by offence 19932
Month Violence against the person Robbery Theft and handling Other offences Total offences
January 1 1
February 1 1
March 1 1
April 1 1
May 1 1
June 1 1
July 3 1 4
August 1 1
September 1 1 1 3
October 3 2 5
November 1 2 1 4
December 2 2
Total 10 6 5 4 25
1 Aged 15 as at date of sentence.
2 Excludes those committed in default of payment of a fine.

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