§ Mrs. Curtis-ThomasTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the reasons for changes in average sentence lengths since 1991. [158736]
§ Paul GogginsThe average length of sentence passed in a magistrates' court increased from 2.9 months in 1991 to 3.1 months in 2002, the last year for which information is available.
The average length of sentence passed in the Crown Court increased from 18.3 months in 1991 to 25.9 months in 2002.
While it is for the courts to determine the sentence passed in individual cases the Government believes that prison should be reserved for serious, dangerous and seriously persistent offenders.
It is the role of the recently appointed Sentencing Guidelines Council to publish robust and comprehensive sentencing guidelines to assist the courts in their task of ensuring consistent and just disposals in all cases.