Crime and Justice
Young people entering prison on remand down by 5%
First receptions of young adults into prison establishments, England and Wales
Around 11,700 young adults in England and Wales aged between 18 and 20 entered prison on remand in 2007. This was a fall of around 5 per cent on the previous year. However, the number of young adults entering prison under sentence rose by around 7 per cent between 2006 and 2007 to almost 13,800. Of these, around 64 per cent were sentenced to the equivalent of 12 months or less, 29 per cent were sentenced to more than 12 months but less than four years and 7 per cent were sentenced to at least four years. Nearly all entrants into prison under sentence in 2007 were men (93 per cent).
Just under a quarter (23 per cent) of young adults aged between 18 and 20 were imprisoned under sentence in 2007 for offences of violence against the person, such as assault, wounding, murder, manslaughter and attempted murder or manslaughter. Around a fifth (19 per cent) was for breach of court order and 13 per cent were for theft and handling stolen goods. Sexual offences accounted for just over 1 per cent.
Young adults accounted for 16 per cent of all offenders who were sentenced to prison for murder or manslaughter or attempted murder or manslaughter in 2007 – a total of 234 young men and 13 young women.
Offences currently recorded as murder or manslaughter per million population by age of victim, 2007/08, England and Wales
The risk of being a victim of murder or manslaughter in 2007/08 was highest for men aged between 16 and 20 years at 45 per million population. The risk for women in this age group was 11 per million population, the second highest risk for females, after baby girls under one (30 per million population). For young men aged 21 to 29 the risk of being a victim of homicide fell to 32 per million population while the risk for young women in this age group was 10 per million population
Young adults are also most at risk of domestic abuse. Levels of reported victimisation in 2007/08 were highest for women aged 16 to 19 (11 per cent reported being the victim of intimate violence). For men the highest levels were reported for those aged 20 to 24 (8 per cent). The most common type of abuse reported by women aged between 16 and 19 was sexual assault (9 per cent), while men aged between 20 and 24 were most likely to report non-sexual abuse by a partner (6 per cent).
Source: Home Office; Ministry of Justice
Notes: Data in the first chart exclude police cells. Data in the second chart do not include murder or manslaughter committed by mentally disturbed people.
A prisoner on remand may be awaiting trial or may have been convicted in a criminal court but is awaiting sentencing. A prisoner under sentence is in custody having received a sentence in a criminal court.
A prisoner received into prison to serve a sentence may have previously been on remand after conviction prior to sentence and before that as a remand prisoner awaiting trial. First receptions count a prisoner once in the relevant time period in which they were first received.
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