Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2019 to Question 230697 on prison sentences, how many community orders each of those offenders had previously been given before being sent to prison.

The Answer of 19 March 2019 to Question 230697 provided data, broken down by males and females, on the highest number of previous offences committed by an offender who received their first immediate custodial sentences between year ending September 2014 and year ending September 2018. Pursuant to this answer data on how many community orders each of those offenders had previously been given before being sent to prison can be viewed in the table.

This analysis relates to a small number of offenders and so the information provided can be volatile and change significantly depending on the offender selected for each year. It should be noted that figures looking at the highest number of previous offences or disposal types are not representative of the majority of the offending population.

Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, who take into account all the circumstances of the case, including any aggravating and mitigating factors. We are clear that sentencing must match the severity of a crime.

However, sentences should also rehabilitate. There is persuasive evidence showing community sentences, in certain circumstances, are more effective than short custodial sentences in reducing reoffending. The MoJ study ‘The impact of short custodial sentences, community orders and suspended sentence orders on re-offending’ published in 2015 involved around 350,000 sentencing occasions over 4 years and used 130 different variables to construct matched groups of offenders and examine the effect of short sentences relative to community sentences. This study found a reduction of around 3 percentage points in proven reoffences if offenders receiving sentences of less than 12 months were to get a community order instead. This is statistically significant and equates to around 30,000 proven reoffences in total over a one-year period. This means fewer victims of crime.

Unless we tackle the underlying causes of offending, we cannot protect the public from being victims of crime. Effective community orders can address offenders’ behaviour, answer their mental health and alcohol or drug misuse needs, and provide reparation for the benefit of the wider community.