Homicide: Sentencing
(asked on 23rd March 2022) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average tariff length in months imposed for murder in each year since 2000.
The average length of the minimum term (sometimes known as a ‘tariff’) for life sentences for murder convictions since 2000 is as follows:
Year of Sentence | Mean Tariff (years) | Mean Tariff (months) |
2000 | 13 | 165 |
2001 | 13 | 161 |
2002 | 13 | 156 |
2003 | 13 | 163 |
2004 | 14 | 172 |
2005 | 15 | 190 |
2006 | 17 | 208 |
2007 | 15 | 190 |
2008 | 17 | 212 |
2009 | 17 | 209 |
2010 | 19 | 227 |
2011 | 18 | 227 |
2012 | 20 | 244 |
2013 | 20 | 246 |
2014 | 20 | 245 |
2015 | 20 | 248 |
2016 | 20 | 251 |
2017 | 20 | 248 |
2018 | 21 | 253 |
2019 | 21 | 255 |
2020 | 21 | 254 |
2021 | 21 | 252 |
Data sources and quality
Note that the minimum term is the time between date of sentence and tariff expiry date. The figures do not include whole-life orders. The numbers are subject to revision as more data become available; any changes in the numbers since the last publication of this information is as a result of more sentencing data becoming available.
The figures in these tables have been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large-scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.
Source: Public Protection Unit Database.