§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people who appeared before magistrates courts in England and Wales were convicted on their first offence and sent to prison in 1998. [91987]
§ Mr. George HowarthEstimates from the criminal histories of offenders in 1997 showed that there were around 3,700 people who appeared before magistrates courts in England and Wales who were given an immediate custodial sentence on their first court appearance for a standard list offence.