Crime down, punishment up

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

The number of people sentenced to prison sentences has reached a 10-year high according to statistics published by the Scottish Government.

During 2008-09 almost 16,900 prison sentences were handed down by courts, a 1 per cent increase on the previous year. Overall, though, the number of all crimes and offences was down by 6 per cent.

The average length of custodial sentences in 2008-09 was over eight and a half months, up 5 per cent on the 2007-08 level and also the highest figure in the last 10 years.

And of the 50,400 individuals convicted at least once, 66 per cent had at least one previous conviction in the previous 10 years.

The age profile of criminals is rising – last year 45 per cent of offenders were over the age of 30 and 19 per cent under 21.

Average jail sentences for handling an offensive weapon have risen to more than eight and a half months and Justice Minister Kenny MacAskill said the figures demonstrated that courts were clamping down on knife offences.

"We are taking tough action on those who carry and use knives," he said. "We've seen jail terms for knife carrying increase by almost two-thirds over the past two years and we've delivered a record number of police officers - a thousand extra - to catch offenders, with recorded crime in Scotland now at its lowest level for nearly 30 years."

MacAskill added: "For all other types of crimes, courts are also getting tougher with average sentences now at their highest level for more than a decade and that is to be welcomed. Serious and dangerous criminals can be left in no doubt that they will be punished and they will go to prison."