§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average length of sentence is for women convicted of drug offences in the last year for which figures are available. [82863]
§ Hilary BennThe average sentence of immediate custody imposed of women convicted of drug offences in 2000 in England and Wales was 17.5 months.
Data for 2001 are not yet available.
§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women convicted in each of the last five years were(a) sent to prison and (b) given community penalties. [82877]
§ Hilary BennThe information requested is contained in the table.
Women found guilty of all offences at all courts and sentenced to immediate custody and to community sentences, England and Wales, 1996 to 2000 Women found guilty Sentenced to immediate custody Given community sentences 1996 260,982 4,403 16,592 1997 217,137 5,506 18,780 1998 235,578 6,567 21,052 1999 219,980 7,504 22,169 2000 256,018 7,900 23,625 Data for 2001 are not yet available.
§ Lynne JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many women were sent to prison on remand in each of the last five years; and how many where subsequently acquitted. [82878]
§ Hilary BennThe requested information is in the following tables.
The first table represents the number of female prisoners that were received into prisons in England and Wales onto remand over the whole of 2001. These individuals may subsequently have been sentenced.
The second table represents female prisoners who were remanded in custody in England and Wales at some stage by a magistrates court, and who were acquitted at some point in 2001.
The two tables do not necessarily cover the same individuals. They are from different data sources and some individuals will be acquitted in a different year to when they were sent to prison on remand.
433W
Number of remand receptions 1996 4,221 1997 5,124 1998 6,258 1999 6,721 2000 6,584 20011 7,191 1 Provisional
Women remanded in custody at some stage in magistrates court proceedings Estimated percentage acquitted 1996 24 1997 23 1998 21 1999 20 2000 21 2001 n/a