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Young Offenders: Greater London

Answer

I have been asked to reply.The available information is provided in the following table.Data for 2009 will be available when Sentencing Statistics 2009 is published later this year.The Courts Proceeding database does not record information on reasons why these orders have been issued, other than the offence committed.Due to data quality issues we are unable to provide information on breaches. Work is currently under way to resolve this.The figures referred to in the response relate to stand alone community sentences only. Requirements similar to those of the stand alone orders which have been given as part of the generic community order are not included. The community order, which was brought in by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 is available for offenders 18 and over and whose offence was committed from April 2005.The drug treatment and testing order was replaced by the drug rehabilitation requirement of the community order under the Criminal Justice Act 2003, from April 2005, for offenders aged over 18.

Total number of drug treatment and testing orders issued for offenders aged 12 to 19, 2002-08
Age	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
12	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
14	0	¹1	0	0	0	0	0
15	0	0	0	0	0	¹1	0
16	20	30	14	11	5	4	1
17	49	38	33	25	7	6	2
18	92	104	142	54	6	3	1
19	182	183	202	108	6	0	0
¹ Drug treatment and testing orders are not available for offenders aged under 16. These records are likely to be data errors, resulting from incorrect recording of age or disposal. Notes:
1. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems. Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 2. This data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe. 3. The figures referred to in the response relate to stand alone community sentences only. Requirements similar to those of the stand alone orders which have been given as part of the generic community order are not included. The Community Order, which was brought in by the Criminal Justice Act 2003 is available for offenders 18 and over and whose offence was committed from April 2005.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

508 c533-4W; 323892

Session

2009-10

Subjects

Greater London Drugs Rehabilitation Young offenders

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk