§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each year since 1989 the total number of young people serving youth custody sentences who have been reclassified from young offender to adult status before reaching 21 years of age.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
452WLetter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Bill Etherington, dated February 1994:
AVERAGE AGE AND AVERAGE SENTENCE LENGTH
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking if he will list for each year since 1989, (a) the average age and (b) the average length of sentence of the total number of young people serving youth custody sentences, who have been reclassified from young offender to adult status prior to reaching 21 years of age.
The readily available information is for prisoners held in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 30 June 1993. On that date the average age of all young offenders who had previously been reclassified to adult status prior to reaching 21 years of age is provisionally estimated as 20.3 years. The average sentence length (excluding those sentenced to life imprisonment and those for whom a sentence length was not recorded) was nearly five years.
§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each year since 1989,(a) the average age and (b) the average length of sentence of the total number of young people serving youth custody sentences.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from A. J. Pearson to Mr. Bill Etherington, dated 10 February 1994:
Average Age and average sentence length of young offenders
The Home Secretary has asked me, in the absence of the Director General from the office, to reply to your recent Question asking if he will list for each year since 1989, (a) the average age and (b) the average length of sentence of the total number of young people serving youth custody sentences.
The information requested is given in the attached table. Information on the average length of sentence of young offenders received into Prison Service establishments is published annually in Chapter 3 of "Prison statistics, England and Wales".
Average age and average sentence length of young offenders in Prison Service establishments in England and Wales on 30 June, 1989–1993 Dated (30 June each year) Average Age (Years) Average sentence length (months)1 1989 19.4 23.3 1990 18.8 22.9 1991 19.1 22.5 21992 19.0 25.2 21993 18.9 25.6 1 Excludes those sentenced to life and those for whom a sentence length is not recorded. 2 Provisional figures.
§ Mr. EtheringtonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each year since 1989, the total number of young people serving youth custody sentences, who had been reclassified from young offender to adult before reaching 21 years of age and subsequently has the reclassification cancelled before the end of their sentence.
§ Mr. Peter LloydResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
453WLetter from Derek Lewis to Mr. Bill Etherington, dated 10 February 1994:
RECLASSIFICATION OF YOUNG OFFENDERS
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your recent Question asking if he will list for each year since 1989 the total number of young people serving youth custody sentences, who had been reclassified from young offender to adult before reaching 21 years of age and subsequently has the reclassification cancelled before the end of their sentence.
The information you have requested is not recorded.