HL Deb 23 May 1963 vol 250 cc547-8WA
BARONESS WOOTTON OF ABINGER

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will give figures showing—

  1. (1) the number of adult first offenders upon whom sentences of imprisonment were passed by magistrates' courts in each of the two years immediately preceding the operation of the First Offenders Act, 1958, and the proportion which the number imprisoned bears to the total number of adult first offenders sentenced by magistrates' courts for indictable offences in the same years; and
  2. (2) similar figures for the years 1961 and 1962 (or 1960 and 1961 if figures for 1962 are not yet available).

EARL JELLICOE

I regret that figures are not available for sentences of imprisonment passed on first offenders as defined in the First Offenders Act, 1958, and that the information that is available, about persons with no previous offences who are received into prison, does not distinguish between committals from magistrates' courts and those from higher courts.

The following table shows the numbers of persons of all ages with no previous proved offences who were received into prison under sentences of imprisonment during the last six years for which figures are available, together with the corresponding figures for persons with previous proved offences:

— No previous proved offences Previous proved offences
1956 4,956 22,807
1957 5,758 24,798
1958 5,975 27,385
1959 5,863 30,272
1960 5,109 32,273
1961 6,128 33,725

House adjourned at twenty-five minutes past Ten o'clock.