The
population of adult prisoners under sentence
was 43,050 on 30 June 1999, a 1.6 per cent
decrease on 1998 but 54 percent higher than
mid 1993.
Males
account for most of the sentenced adult population,
about 95 per cent in 1999. The proportion
of females has however been increasing, from
3.6 per cent in 1989 to 4.9 per cent in 1999.
For
both adult males and females, the proportion
serving longer sentences (over 4 years) increased
between 1989 and 1999, from 37 per cent to
45 per cent for males and from 32 per cent
to 36 per cent for females.
In
1999, 22 per cent of adult males for whom
offence type was recorded were serving sentences
for violence, 17 per cent for drug offences,
16 per cent for burglary and 11 per cent for
robbery.
Two-fifths
(40 per cent) of adult females for whom offence
type was recorded were serving a sentence
for drug offences, 22 per cent for theft and
fraud offences and 17 per cent for violence.
In
1998, an estimated 79 per cent of adult male
sentenced prisoners had previous convictions
compared with 55 per cent of adult females
(NB 5 per cent and 11 per cent of information
is missing for males and females respectively).
Receptions
In
1999, 69,200 adults were received under sentence,
4 per cent higher than in 1998. Female receptions
were 17 per cent higher, at nearly 5,600 in1999.
Receptions
have risen each year since 1992 when there
were under 37,000.
The
average sentence length of adults received
in 1999 (excluding life sentences) fell slightly,
from 15.1 months in 1998 to 14.7 months in
1999.
Excluding
fine defaulters and offence type not recorded,
nearly half (48 per cent) of adult male receptions
in 1999 were in three offence groups, violence,
burglary and theft and handling. Just over
half of females (51 per cent) were received
for theft and handling and fraud and forgery
offences.
Drugs
offences accounted for 15 per cent of adult
female receptions and 9 per cent of adult
male receptions.
Discharges
71,300
adults were discharged from determinate sentences
in 1999, having served on average 8.1 months
(including time on remand).
On
average about 53 per cent of the sentence
was served before discharge (including time
spent on remand).
