To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many people were sentenced in magistrates courts in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of those sentences were custodial. (267047)

In 2007, the latest year for which data are available, there were 1,325,453 persons sentenced at magistrates courts and 76,643 were given a custodial sentence including suspended sentences. More than 80 per cent. of sentences at magistrates courts are for summary offences for which custody is not always either available or appropriate. For non-summary offences the total number sentenced was 234,541 and 43,595 were given a custodial sentence.

These figures can also be found in table 1.3 of “Sentencing Statistics, England and Wales, 2007” published by the Ministry of Justice at the following link:

http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/sentencingannual.htm