Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many adult women with no previous convictions were taken into immediate custody from (a) Crown courts and (b) magistrates courts for sentences of (i) below six months and (ii) six months and over in each police force area in England and Wales in 2018-19; and what the offence classification was in each of those cases.
Information on the numbers of adult women and adult men with no previous convictions who were taken into immediate custody from the Crown Courts and the Magistrates courts for sentences of below six months and six months and over are provided below. It is not possible to provide breakdowns by police force area because, due to low numbers, this would risk identification of the individuals concerned.
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There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 found that over a 1-year follow up period, a higher proportion of people re-offended having been sentenced to custody of under 12 months without supervision on release than other similar people given community orders.
Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.
In the female offender strategy, published June 2018, we set out our vision to see fewer women coming into the criminal justice system, and a greater proportion managed successfully in the community.