Crimes of Violence Dr. Alasdair McDonnell To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many convictions for violent crime offences there were in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; what the average sentence handed down for such offences was in each of those years; and how many of those so sentenced received the maximum possible sentence in each year. Paul Goggins The following table gives the number of convictions, the number sentenced to immediate custody, the average custodial sentence length (in months) and the number given the maximum sentence for violent offences. Violent offences include the offence classifications of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery. When sentencing convicted offenders, judges and magistrates take account of the characteristics of the offender including age, previous convictions and characteristics in terms of seriousness and the degree of culpability. Data cover the calendar years 2004 to 2006 (the latest available years) and are collated on the principal offence rule; only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | |2004 |2005 |2006 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Number convicted |2,308|2,280|2,606| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Number sentenced to immediate custody1 |510 |517 |648 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Average custodial sentence length (in months)2 |25 |26 |26 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |Number given the maximum sentence |16 |17 |15 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |1 The number sentenced to immediate custody includes those given life imprisonment or a juvenile justice centre order.2 The average custodial sentence lengths exclude life sentences and juvenile justice centre orders.| | | | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------