The following table shows the average determinate custodial sentence length for all persons sentenced for grievous bodily harm and violent disorder in 2007 where such an offence was the principal offence for which the offender was sentenced. 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.
Total for 2007 Total sentenced to immediate custody Grievous bodily harm 27.5 3,733 Violent disorder 15.9 367 1 Average custodial sentence length excludes life/indeterminate sentences. 2 Offences of wounding with intent to do grievous bodily harm, Causing explosion or casting corrosive fluids with intent to do grievous bodily harm, malicious wounding, racially aggravated malicious wounding or GBH, religiously aggravated wounding or GBH, racially or religiously aggravated wounding or GBH. 3 Public Order Act 1986 Note: 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. Source: OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice