Young Offenders

Mr. Grieve
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those aged under 18 years were sentenced for (a) drug offences and (b) criminal damage in each year since 1997.

Mr. Straw
The information requested is shown in the table:

Offenders aged under 18 sentenced for drug offences or criminal damage at all courts, 1997 to 2007Offence typeCriminal damageDrug offences19972,2551,84519982,2902,74819992,6823,10720002,5763,73920012,8974,34220022,9084,95820032,9465,144 20043,2344,47920053,2744,62620063,6784,46020073,6235,263 Notes:1. These data are based on the principle offence. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principle offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed; where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principle 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:OMS Analytical Services, Ministry of Justice

Data held by the Ministry of Justice record the age of the offender at the point of sentencing the answer given shows all those aged under 18 at that point.