Fifty offenders jailed every day by Scottish courts

Published on Tuesday 9 March 2010 21:50

THE number of Scottish offenders sent to prison has risen to its highest level in a decade, according to new statistics.

• More Scots are being sent to jail than at any time in the past decade. Picture: Getty

Almost 16,900 offenders were jailed in 2008-9, 1 per cent higher than the previous year, and up by a fifth on 1999-2000. It represents almost 50 people sent to prison each day. The average sentence of eight and a half months is also the highest in a decade, and 13 days more than 2007-8.

The figures, released by the Scottish Government, show several kinds of crime falling.

The overall number of convictions of 125,400 was down 6 per cent on the previous year.

Homicide, rape, attempted rape, and drug possession have all fallen as have alcohol-related offences, vandalism and breach of the peace.

However, the number of people convicted of supplying drugs, and lewd and indecent behaviour increased.

The Scottish Government proposes a presumption against jail sentences of less than six months, except where the judge believes it is the best option.

However, Labour believes this would lead to 12,000 knife crime offenders receiving community punishments rather than jail. Already 70 per cent of those caught in possession of knives avoid jail, although this was higher under the previous Labour-Liberal Democrat administration.

Richard Baker, Scottish Labour justice spokesman, said: "These figures show the absolute folly of the SNP plans to scrap six-month prison sentences.

''Knife crime is up (by 3 per cent) as well as a huge increase in lewd and indecent behaviour (of 34 per cent) and still justice secretary Kenny MacAskill presses on with his under-funded and dangerous plans.

"The SNP refuses to do anything about knife criminals and yet we find that 70 per cent of knife criminals do not receive a custodial sentence and of those that do, two-thirds would avoid jail entirely under the SNP's plans.

''We must always look to do more to tackle knife crime, and under MacAskill's plans to scrap sentences of six months, 627 criminals convicted of these offences would now actually go free.''

The number of people charged with homicide fell from 135 in 2007-8 to 110 the following year. Scotland has historically had a high homicide rate. The most recent United Nations' figures showed Scotland had a homicide rate of 2.13 per 100,000 in 2006, compared to 1.41 in England and Wales, and 1.59 in Ireland.

Prison sentences for knife crime rose by 21 per cent in 2008-9 to an average of 263 days.

Justice secretary Kenny MacAskill said: "Whether it's a totally misguided person who thinks a knife gives extra protection, or a mindless thug with violent intentions, today's statistics should be a wake-up call."

A Scottish Government spokesman added: "These statistics clearly show that the average sentence for handling an offensive weapon is over eight and a half months, not six months – 21 per cent higher than last year and double the level they were in 2005-6. The justice secretary has also said that if judges see fit to impose the maximum sentence of four years in prison for possession he will back them 100 per cent.

"The fact is that under this administration, crime is at its lowest level in nearly 30 years, tougher sentences are being handed out to those who do wrong, now at their highest level for a decade, and we have delivered an all-time record number of police officers – 1,000 extra – to catch offenders and make our communities safer."

Bill Aitken, the Conservatives' justice spokesman, said: "The Scottish Government is quite right that the average jail sentence for knife crime is now 263 days.

"But the vast majority of offenders do not get a custodial sentence, a fact many people in the wider community find most disturbing."

Scottish Liberal Democrats justice spokesman Robert Brown raised concerns about levels of reoffending. A third of offenders sent to prison in 2008-9 had more than ten previous convictions since 1999.

"Offenders frequently come out of prison as more hardened offenders than when they went in – and all at huge cost to the public purse," he said.

A Crown Office spokeswoman added: "Overall, crime is decreasing in Scotland. In the period between April 2008 and March 2009, 89 per cent of all persons proceeded against in Scottish courts were convicted.''

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