§ LORD CHORLEYasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish in the OFFICIAL REPORT figures showing the effect of the introduction of the suspended sentence on the use by the courts of imprisonment, probation, fines and orders of conditional discharge.
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE, HOME OFFICE (LORD WINDLESHAM)The information is as follows:—
899WA
PERSONS FOUND GUILTY IN ENGLAND AND WALES FROM 1965 TO 1969 AND CONDITIONALLY DISCHARGED, PLACED ON PROBATION, FINED OR SENTENCED TO IMPRISONMENT Total found guilty Conditional discharge Probation order Magistrates' Courts Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Indictable 1965 … … … … 196,080 100 26,164 13.3 34,819 17.8 1966 … … … … 208,450 100 25,652 12.3 34,752 16.7 1967 … … … … 216,623 100 29,673 13.7 35,883 16.6 1968 … … … … 229,932 100 32,981 14.3 34,204 14.9 1969 … … … … 271,637 100 36,632 13.5 38,311 14.1 Non-indictable (Non-motoring) 1965 … … … … 310,605 100 11,991 3.9 7,029 2.3 1966 … … … … 314,859 100 11,581 3.7 6,553 2.1 1967 … … … … 336,881 100 12,962 3.8 6,797 2.0 1968 … … … … 349,223 100 15,024 4.3 7,768 2.2 1969 … … … … 355,805 100 13,481 3.8 5,680 1.6 Non-indictable (Motoring) 1965 … … … … 839,008 100 1,699 0.2 345 0.04 1966 … … … … 898,235 100 1,843 0.2 255 0.03 1967 … … … … 1,000,564 100 2,384 0.2 360 0.04 1968 … … … … 970,318 100 2,532 0.3 518 0.05 1969 … … … … 946,853 100 3,090 0.3 1,723 0.2 Total 1965 … … … … 1,345,693 100 39,854 3.0 42,193 3.1 1966 … … … … 1,421,544 100 39,076 2.7 41,560 2.9 1967 … … … … 1,554,068 100 45,019 2.9 43,040 2.8 1968 … … … … 1,549,473 100 50,537 3.3 42,490 2.9 1969 … … … … 1,574,295 100 53,203 3.4 45,714 2.9 Assizes and Quarter Sessions Trials Trials 1965 … … … … 22,355 100 889 4.0 4,010 17.9 1966 … … … … 24,404 100 776 3.2 3,930 16.1 1967 … … … … 25,585 100 1,030 4.0 4,282 16.7 1968 … … … … 27,395 100 1,106 4.0 3,991 14.6 1969 … … … … 32,433 100 1,390 4.3 4,339 13.4 For sentence 1965 … … … … 8,536 100 115 1.3 1,409 16.5 1966 … … … … 10,275 100 118 1.1 1,583 15.4 1967 … … … … 10,640 100 151 1.4 1,754 16.5 1968 … … … … 11,730 100 139 1.2 1,409 12.0 1969 … … … … 12,121 100 154 1.3 1,502 12.4 All Courts 1965 … … … … 1,376,584 100 40,858 3.0 47,612 3.5 1966 … … … … 1,456,223 100 39,970 2.7 47,073 3.2 1967 … … … … 1,590,293 100 46,200 2.9 49,076 3.1 1968 … … … … 1,588,598 100 51,782 3.3 47,890 3.0 1969 … … … … 1,618,849 100 54,747 3.3 51,555 3.2
Fine Immediate imprisonment Suspended sentence of imprisonment Magistrates' Courts Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Number Per cent. Indictable 1965 … … … … 94,648 48.3 15,273 7.8 — — 1966 … … … … 104,546 50.2 16,580 8.0 — — 1967 … … … … 109,417 50.5 15,079 7.0 — — 1968 … … … … 105,391 45.8 9,971 4.3 18,381 8.0 1969 … … … … 132,251 48.7 11,860 4.4 19,378 7.1 Non-indictable (Non-motoring) 1965 … … … … 270,371 87.0 7,357 2.4 — — 1966 … … … … 275,175 87.4 8,083 2.6 — — 1967 … … … … 295,794 87.8 7,431 2.2 — — 1968 … … … … 299,945 85.9 4,950 1.4 5,438 1.6 1969 … … … … 316,775 89.0 3,995 1.1 3,881 1.1 Non-indictable (Motoring) 1965 … … … … 827,509 98.6 2,466 0.3 — — 1966 … … … … 886,403 98.7 2,980 0.3 — — 1967 … … … … 987,146 98.7 3,019 0.3 — — 1968 … … … … 954,624 98.4 1,637 0.2 2,386 0.2 1969 … … … … 925,386 97.7 2,076 0.2 2,627 0.3 Total 1965 … … … … 1,192,528 88.6 25,096 1.9 — — 1966 … … … … 1,266,124 89.1 27,643 1.9 — — 1967 … … … … 1,392,357 89.6 25,529 1.6 — — 1968 … … … … 1,359,960 87.8 16,558 1.1 26,205 1.7 1969 … … … … 1,374,412 87.3 17,931 1.1 25,886 1.6 Assizes and Quarter Sessions Trials 1965 … … … … 4,528 20.3 8,850 39.6 — — 1966 … … … … 4,892 20.0 10,373 42.5 — — 1967 … … … … 5,318 20.8 10,443 40.8 — — 1968 … … … … 3,515 12.8 9,792 35.7 4,458 16.3 1969 … … … … 4,308 13.3 11,850 36.5 5,019 15.5 For sentence 1965 … … … … 260 3.0 3,377 39.6 — — 1966 … … … … 399 3.9 3,897 37.9 — — 1967 … … … … 446 4.2 3,893 36.6 — — 1968 … … … … 317 2.7 4,249 36.2 1,339 11.4 1969 … … … … 385 3.2 4,155 34.3 1,264 10.4 All Courts 1965 … … … … 1,197,316 87.0 37,323 2.7 — — 1966 … … … … 1,271,415 87.3 41,913 2.9 — — 1967 … … … … 1,398,121 87.9 39,865 2.5 — — 1968 … … … … 1,363,792 85.8 30,599 1.9 32,002 2.0 1969 … … … … 1,379,105 85.2 33,916 2.1 32,169 2.0 Notes:
(a) The figures shown for persons found guilty at magistrates' courts include those committed for sentence to the higher courts and the figures shown for persons "for sentence" at the higher courts were found guilty at magistrates' courts. The proportions given for magistrates' courts and for all courts are slightly affected by this duplication.
(b) The fall in 1968 and 1969 (compared with 1967) in the proportions of persons fined for non-indictable motoring offences and for the total of indictable and non indictable offences was mainly due to the decline in motoring offences resulting from the increased use of fixed penalties.
(c) The slight rise in the proportion of offenders conditionally discharged may reflect the extension of the maximum length from one year to three years provided by the Criminal Justice Act 1967.
900WAHouse adjourned at a quarter before ten o'clock.