§ Mr. Bensonasked the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he will give the following figures for the years 1939 to 1945 inclusive: the number of persons dealt with in magistrates' courts; the number of persons dealt with at Assizes and Quarter Sessions; the number of sentences of imprisonment passed by magistrates' courts; the number of sentences of penal servitude, imprisonment and Borstal passed by Assizes and Quarter Sessions, respectively; the number of legal aid certificates proceedings before magistrates' courts and proceedings before examining justices; the number of defence certificates, applications determined by committing justices, Quarter Sessions and Assizes, respectively; the number of persons committed to prison in default of payment of money, excluding fines, by magistrates' courts and by county courts; the number of persons under 21 years of age, 317W respectively, sentenced to imprisonment; and the number of boys under 14, males over 14 and over 17 years of age who received sentences of corporal punishment
318W
1939. 1940. 1941. 1942. 1943. 1944. 1945. Number of Persons dealt with in Magistrates Courts for Indictable and Non-Indictable offences (including Defence Regulations). 723,578 830,993 830,137 1713,846 593,091 519,960 503,214 Number of Persons dealt with at Assize and Quarter Sessions. 9,751 7,829 10,079 11,565 11,944 12,279 15,903 Sentences of Imprisonment passed by Magistrates' Courts. 17,569 16,681 20,718 22,552 20,867 20,085 19,710 Sentences of:— Penal Servitude 541 469 502 629 609 611 741 Imprisonment 3,486 2,679 3,732 4,672 5,037 5,150 6,397 Borstal Detention 997 866 1,156 1,153 1,041 1,149 1,864 passed by Courts of Assize and Quarter Sessions. Number of Legal Aid Certificates:— (1) Proceedings before Magistrates Courts. 258 217 201 243 265 313 439 (2) Proceedings before Examining Justices with a view to the commital of the prisoner for trial at Assize and Quarter Sessions. 500 441 455 534 563 570 771 Number of Defence Certificates in Proceedings before Assizes and Quarter Sessions. Applications determined by:— (i) Committing Justices 1,016 841 881 1,046 1,297 1,434 1,997 (ii) Quarter Sessions 464 316 289 318 334 364 524 (iii) Courts of Assize 226 196 195 277 260 210 225 Number of Persons committed to Prison in default of payment of money, excluding fines:— (a) by Magistrates Courts 4,063 2,986 2,464 2,608 2,594 2,613 Not Available (b) by County Courts 2,301 855 761 474 345 230 do. Number of Persons under 21 sentenced to imprisonment. 1,297 2,255 3,311 3,549 3,203 3,171 3,495 Number of persons who received corporal punish-ment:— (a) under sentence of the court:— (i) Boys under 14 58 302 531 314 165 37 25 (ii) Males 14–17 1 6 18 17 1 — 1 (iii) Males over 17 9 15 32 35 29 31 18 Total 68 323 581 66 195 68 44 (b) for offences against prison discipline. 9 6 10 8 6 8 10 under sentences of the court for offences against prison discipline.