HC Deb 18 June 1996 vol 279 c383W
Mr. Alex Carlile

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the relative cost of custodial and non-custodial sentences for similar offences; and if he will make a statement. [33128]

Mr. Maclean

The target annual unit costs for 1996–97 for the principal disposals available to the courts are:

  • Prison place: £24,388
  • Probation order: £2,510
  • Community service order: £1,840

The decision whether to impose a custodial or non-custodial sentence is a matter for the courts, within the statutory limits taking into account all the circumstances of the offence and the offender. It is not determined by the costs of these disposals.

Mr. Carlile

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has evaluated which identifies a relationship between marginal increases in the prison population and marginal decreases in crime rates; and if he will make a statement. [33129]

Mr. Maclean

The Home Office research and statistics directorate continuously monitors research in this area. Its most recent evaluation of such research is contained within "Analysing Offending: Data. Models and Interpretations" by Roger Tarling (HMSO. 1993).

Mr. Carlile

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has published to encourage judges to give shorter average sentences; and if he will make a statement. [33184]

Mr. Maclean

The Government have no plans to encourage judges to pass sentences which would mean offenders spending less time in prison. The proposals for mandatory minimum sentences for persistent burglars and drug dealers set out in the White Paper "Protecting the Public" would mean many offenders receiving significantly longer sentences than they do at present.