§ Lord Dholakiaasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the calculations on which they base their estimate that mandatory minimum sentences for offenders convicted of burglary could alone reduce burglaries by 3,000 a year by 2001–02 and possibly by as much as 17,000 a year in the long run. [HL866]
§ Lord Bassam of BrightonThe estimates take as their starting point the number of extra prison places expected to be needed for those sentenced to a minimum prison sentence of three years for a third offence of burglary in a dwelling, under Section 4 of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997. While in prison each burglar is assumed to be prevented from committing at least three recorded crimes per year. We are carrying out a survey of recently sentenced prisoners to find out the number and types of offences they had committed in the year before they entered custody. This should provide better estimates of the numbers of crimes likely to be saved through incapacitation.