§ Mrs. BrookeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department (1) what analysis his Department has undertaken into the variation of sentencing penalties for female offenders imposed by(a) Crown Courts and (b) magistrates courts; [142292]
(2) what research his Department has undertaken into the variation by region of sentencing penalties for female offenders. [142293]
§ Paul Goggins"Statistics on women and the CJS" (published annually under section 95 of the Criminal Justice Act 1991) provides information on the treatment of women across the criminal justice system. It includes a comparison of trends in custody rates at magistrates courts and the Crown Court, for both males and females. Figures on use of imprisonment for adult males and females are provided broken down by offence type as well as court. The next section 95 report containing 2002 data will be published in January 2004.
Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 2001 Supplementary Tables Volume 4 Table S4.1E provides regional sentencing indicators for females in magistrates courts. Criminal Statistics, England and Wales, 2001 Supplementary Tables Volume 2 table S2.2 provides figures for females sentenced at each Crown Court centre by type of sentence imposed. Figures for 2002 will be published later this month.