Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of people convicted of violent offences did not receive an immediate custodial sentence in each year since 1993.

The number and proportion of people convicted for offences classified in the indictable offence group ‘violence against the person’ and who received a non-custodial sentence or suspended sentence in each year since 1993 can be viewed in the table attached. Changes in custody rates over the period will reflect a number of factors, including changes in offence mix and policy and sentencing decisions.

The proportion of offenders sentenced to immediate custody for violent offences in 2018 was at its highest level in this time period.