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Criminal Justice Boards (Targets)

Volume 410: debated on Friday 19 September 2003

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To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the proposed timelines and targets set by each local Criminal Justice Board for the reduction of the time from arrest to sentence. [130483]

All Local Criminal Justice Boards are expected to continue to work towards meeting and maintaining the Government's objective to halve the average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders in England and Wales from 142 days (1996) to 71 days. The average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders in England and Wales was 64 days for the second quarter of 2003—the eighth consecutive quarter at or below the 71 day target. Current Persistent Young Offenders (PYO) performance for each Local Criminal Justice Board is set out in the table (Table A) and further details are available at www.youth-justice-board.gov.uk/PractitionersPostal/PracticeAnd Performance/Performance.Locally, since April 2003 when the Boards were formally established, each Board has set itself individual adult and youth targets for improving general timeliness in the magistrates courts, with separate Crown court targets for different types of cases. These have been set in the context of the overall delivery of the Criminal Justice Systems (CJS's) Public Service Agreements and in the magistrates courts are expressed in terms of charge to completion. Targets for each area are set out in the table (Table B). Performance data from April-June 2003, is due to be published in October 2003.

Table A
April–June 2003
ForceASNumber of cases
National646,296
Avon and Somerset61108
Bedfordshire4427
Cambridgeshire4382
Table B
Magistrates courtCrown court
AdultYouth
TARGETS 2003/04PYOInitial Guilty PleaTrialsCommittalsInitial Guilty PleaTrialsCommittalsCommittal for trial (%)Sent for trial (%)Committal for sentence trial (%)Sent for appeal (%)
England and Wales71
Avon and Somerset71571428454121951111
Bedfordshire713617586491218578787878
Cambridgeshire714914586491198578787878
Cheshire714612398411089878787878
Cleveland71501418649998580808080
Cumbria7142112844298701111
Derbyshire7154130102561409882859293
Devon and Cornwall714012876461219278787878
Dorset714818286461126878787878
Durham71371119024855578787878
Dyfed Powys71381267244788578787878
Essex715012786401067678787878
Gloucestershire715014085451108080859090
Greater Manchester714213684491218562728085
Gwent71111491218578787878
Hampshire713514869421158378787878
Hertfordshire714514586441216278787878
Humberside71501508549120851111
Kent714o1408040115801111
Lancashire715014586491218570788085
Leicestershire714113084471086978787878
Lincolnshire714714586491215878787878
London714714565491217778787878

Table A

April–June 2003

Force

AS

Number of cases

Cheshire5595
Cleveland5788
Cumbria5393
Derbyshire9190
Devon and Cornwall48120
Dorset7658
Durham60102
Dyfed-Powys3151
Essex7994
Gloucestershire4041
Greater Manchester67474
Gwent6478
Hampshire65314
Hertfordshire4958
Humberside89130
Kent67189
Lancashire52240
Leicestershire66106
Lincolnshire7978
Merseyside89257
Metropolitan75453
Norfolk7072
North Wales43110
North Yorkshire7679
Northamptonshire6871
Northumbria70384
Nottinghamshire59150
South Wales63259
South Yorkshire73164
Staffordshire46147
Suffolk4091
Surrey7448
Sussex55121
Thames Valley64147
Warwickshire4341
West Mercia59129
West Midlands51436
West Yorkshire65331
Wiltshire6836
British Transport Police7554

Note:

This table shows the latest available PYO arrest-to-sentence figures for each Criminal Justice Area.

Table B

Magistrates court

Crown court

Adult

Youth

TARGETS 2003/04

PYO

Initial Guilty Plea

Trials

Committals

Initial Guilty Plea

Trials

Committals

Committal for trial (%)

Sent for trial (%)

Committal for sentence trial (%)

Sent for appeal (%)

Merseyside715214080401108081839196
Norfolk71381106237987078787878
Northamptonshire715014586491216278787878
Northumbria7128112842811270

1

1

1

1

North Wales713610490451026790929093
North Yorkshire71421308642907278787878
Nottinghamshire714914469481148478787878
South Wales71501288442926078787878
South Yorkshire7154138985711710278787878
Staffordshire71501298644908578787878
Suffolk715014271491017878787878
Surrey714514086441004578787878
Sussex7150145864112182

1

1

1

1

Thames Valley7150145864610985

1

1

1

1

Warwickshire71501178546998578787878
West Mercia7142155125451188578787878
West Midlands714211270421127078787878
West Yorkshire714812884451168478787878
Wiltshire71471201084298078787878

1 denotes no area target set

Notes:

Persistent Young Offenders—Targets are based on average time in days from arrest to sentence

Timeliness in Magistrates courts—Targets are based on 80 per cent. of defendants charged with crime to be dealt within the number of days shown from charge to disposal.

Timeliness in Crown courts—Targets are the percentage of defendants to be dealt with within National Targets from committal to first hearing

Crown Court National targets are: Committals for trial, 16 weeks; Sent for trial cases, 26 weeks; Committals for sentence, 10 weeks; Appeals, 14 weeks

These figures have been updated recently and may differ slightly from previously published figures

Awaiting clarification from Gwent on Adult timeliness targets