Young Offenders

HC Deb 25 January 1991 vol 184 cc349-50W

Mr. Bermingham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what was the average weekly cost of holding a juvenile on remand in penal custody in England and Wales during the latest financial year for which figures are available.

Mrs. Rumbold

Information on remand prisoners is not held separately.

The average weekly cost of holding a juvenile in a closed youth establishment in 1989–90 was £346.

Mr. Bermingham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many juvenile males were charged with(a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences, (c) burglary, (d) robbery, (e) theft and handling stolen goods, (f) criminal damage, (g) drug offences and (h) motoring offences in England and Wales during 1989; and what percentage were remanded into custody.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

The number of juvenile males proceeded against at magistrates courts for indictable offences in England and Wales in 1989 is given in the table:

Indictable offences	Number of juvenile males proceeded against
Violence against the person	4,739
Sexual offences	518
Burglary	9,470
Robbery	1,497
Theft and handling stolen goods	12,872
Fraud and forgery	370
Criminal damage	1,581

Indictable offences	Number of juvenile males proceeded against
Drug offences	310
Other (excluding motoring)	1,734
Motoring offences	240
Total	33,331

These figures are published in "Criminal Statistics, England and Wales Supplementary tables 1989, volume 1, tables S1.1(B) and S1.1(C). Reliable information on the breakdown of remands into bail and custody according to age, sex and offence group is not available centrally.

Mr. Bermingham

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for the latest year available, how many juveniles appeared before magistrates courts in England and Wales; and what percentage was accompanied by one or both of their parents.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

A total of 55,000 juveniles were proceeded against in magistrates courts in 1989. We have no information available centrally on the percentage who were accompanied by one or both of their parents.