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Drugs: Fine

Volume 506: debated on Friday 26 February 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 4 February 2010, Official Report, columns 490-3W, on drugs: fines, what the number of people fined for (a) possession and (b) possession with intent to supply was as a proportion of all those convicted of both offences in each year for which the data are provided. (317569)

The requested information is shown in the following tables.

Number of persons fined and total sentenced, at all courts, for having possession of a controlled drug by drug type and year, 1998 to 2008

England and Wales

Drug type and year

Number of persons fined

Total sentenced

Fine rate (percentage)

Cannabis

1998

15,503

22,616

68.5

1999

15,215

22,672

67.1

2000

13,638

20,799

65.6

2001

12,960

20,736

62.5

2002

14,123

23,627

59.8

2003

15,172

25,665

59.1

2004

6,972

13,302

52.4

2005

6,316

12,050

52.4

2006

6,368

12,452

51.1

2007

6,839

14,004

48.8

2008

8,694

17,831

48.8

Cocaine

1998

1,003

1,642

61.1

1999

1,243

2,035

61.1

2000

1,117

1,884

59.3

2001

1,107

1,977

56.0

2002

1,332

2,233

59.7

2003

1,411

2,455

57.5

2004

1,516

2,737

55.4

2005

1,731

3,161

54.8

2006

2,055

3,981

51.6

2007

2,307

4,882

47.3

2008

2,839

5,825

48.7

Crack Cocaine

1998

192

361

53.2

1999

246

483

50.9

2000

265

506

52.4

2001

281

626

44.9

2002

394

786

50.1

2003

381

862

44.2

2004

328

846

38.8

2005

386

921

41.9

2006

392

973

40.3

2007

409

1,211

33.8

2008

572

1,549

36.9

Ecstasy (MDMA)

1998

408

743

54.9

1999

681

1,253

54.3

2000

1,038

2,002

51.8

2001

1,201

2,485

48.3

2002

1,078

2,170

49.7

2003

1,023

2,001

51.1

2004

840

1,849

45.4

2005

761

1,672

45.5

2006

672

1,524

44.1

2007

618

1,571

39.3

2008

404

974

41.5

Heroin

1998

1,505

4,311

34.9

1999

1,660

4,836

34.3

2000

1,715

5,143

33.3

2001

1,856

5,436

34.1

2002

1,758

5,040

34.9

2003

1,541

4,563

33.8

2004

1,405

4,258

33.0

2005

1,230

3,942

31.2

2006

1,159

3,939

29.4

2007

1,335

4,628

28.8

2008

1,478

4,870

30.3

Notes:

1. These data are 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.

2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.

3. 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:

Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Number of persons fined and total sentenced, at all courts, for having possession of a controlled drug with intent to supply by drug type and year, 1998 to 2008

England and Wales

Drug type and year

Number of persons fined

Total sentenced

Percentage of persons given fines

Cannabis

1998

244

2,713

9.0

1999

197

2,316

8.5

2000

163

1,872

8.7

2001

100

1,401

7.1

2002

103

1,383

7.4

2003

111

1,462

7.6

2004

79

1,210

6.5

2005

62

950

6.5

2006

29

884

3.3

2007

32

910

3.4

2008

48

1,142

6.3

Cocaine

1998

9

332

2.7

1999

8

345

2.3

2000

10

350

2.9

2001

9

444

2.0

2002

13

538

2.4

2003

19

682

2.8

2004

14

796

1.8

2005

14

930

1.5

2006

9

986

0.9

2007

19

1,165

1.6

2008

11

1,530

0.7

Crack Cocaine

1998

3

85

3.5

1999

2

72

2.8

2000

1

90

1.1

2001

5

118

4.2

2002

2

161

1.2

2003

2

235

0.9

2004

3

232

1.3

2005

7

303

2.3

2006

3

298

1.0

2007

3

364

0.8

2008

0

451

0.0

Ecstasy (MDMA)

1998

11

291

3.8

1999

16

454

3.5

2000

20

736

2.7

2001

20

982

2.0

2002

22

843

2.6

2003

24

743

3.2

2004

10

603

1.7

2005

8

551

1.5

2006

10

419

2.4

2007

7

509

1.4

2008

0

348

0.0

Heroin

1998

13

830

1.6

1999

18

912

2.0

2000

8

943

0.8

2001

24

1,023

2.3

2002

9

945

1.0

2003

12

1,121

1.1

2004

3

1,145

0.3

2005

5

1,118

0.4

2006

8

1,101

0.7

2007

6

1,138

0.5

2008

3

1,331

0.2

Notes:

1. These data are 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.

2. These figures have been drawn from administrative data systems.

3. 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:

Justice Statistics Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice