To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many juveniles sentenced to a custodial sentence in (a) 1997 and (b) the most recent year for which information is available had served (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five and (vi) more than five previous custodial sentences. (314276)

Figures for juveniles given immediate custodial sentences for indictable or triable-either-way offences are shown in the following table. These figures represent a further breakdown of the statistics in table 6.8 of “Sentencing Statistics 2008” which was published on 28 January 2010 and can be found at:

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

Figures for 1997 are not available; the table shows figures for 2000, the earliest year for which this breakdown can be provided.

The figures have been drawn from the police’s administrative IT system, the police national computer, which, as with any large scale recording system, is subject to possible errors with data entry and processing. The figures are provisional and subject to change as more information is recorded by the police.