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Commentary
Prison population
Total average daily population
In 2007/08, the average daily population in Scottish prisons totalled 7,376, an increase of 3 per cent when compared with the 2006/07 figure of 7,183 and the highest annual level ever recorded ( Table 1). Chart 1 (on the front page) shows the change in the average daily prison population in Scotland since the beginning of the 20 th century. It shows noticeable slumps during the 1 st and 2 nd world wars, followed by a massive increase (314 per cent) from 1,781 in 1950 to 7,376 in 2007/08.
Over the ten year period, 1998/99 - 2007/08, the average daily prison population has increased by 22 per cent. In the same ten year period the female prison population has increased by 87 per cent; over four times the growth experienced in the male prison population (20 per cent). The 2007/08 female prison population was 371, an increase from 353 in 2006/07.
Remand population
The average daily remand population in 2007/08 was 1,560 (1,443 males and 117 females), very similar to the 2006/07 figure of 1,567 (Table 3). Young offender remand numbers decreased by 2 per cent to 355 in 2007/08, from 361 in 2006/07. Adult remand numbers remained at around the same level, at 1,205 in 2007/08, compared to 1,206 in 2006/07.
Looking at differences between types of remand, the average daily population of untried prisoners decreased by 2 per cent to 1,305 in 2007/08 from 1,325 in 2006/07, while the average daily population of those prisoners who were convicted awaiting sentence increased by 5 per cent to 255 in 2007/08 from 242 in 2006/07.
Chart 2 Average daily prison population, by category of prisoner
Chart 2 (previous page) shows an 18 per cent increase in the adult sentenced prison population over the last ten years. However, the under 21 sentenced population decreased by 21 per cent between 1998/99 and 2004/05, from 708 to 560, before increasing again to reach 685 in 2007/08.
Fine default population
Although fine defaulters make up a large proportion of prison receptions, they represent only a very small proportion of the average daily prison population because they spend only a short time in prison. In 2007/08, the average daily population of fine defaulters was 29, a decrease of 37 per cent compared to 46 in 2006/07 ( Table 1).
Sentenced population
The average population of sentenced young offenders was 685 in 2007/08, an increase of 6 per cent compared with the 2006/07 figure of 645 ( Table 4). The number of male sentenced young offenders increased to 661 in 2007/08 from 614 in 2006/07 and the number of female sentenced young offenders decreased to 24 in 2007/08 from 30 in 2006/07.
The average daily adult sentenced population was 5,130 in 2007/08, an increase of 3 per cent from the 2006/07 figure of 4,970 ( Table 5). There was a decrease of 9 per cent in the average number of adult prisoners serving sentences of less than 3 months (to 102 in 2007/08 from 112 in 2006/07). The average daily adult population serving sentences of between 6 months and 2 years increased by 7 per cent to 983 in 2007/08 from 918 in 2006/07. The number of prisoners serving sentences of 2 years and over but less than 4 years increased by 8 per cent to 883 in 2007/08 from 820 in 2006/07.
The number of long-term adult prisoners, those sentenced to 4 years or more (including life sentences and recalls), increased by 3 per cent to 2,768 in 2007/08, from 2,693 in 2006/07.
The average daily population of prisoners recalled from supervision or licence has continued to rise, increasing by 18 per cent to 614 in 2007/08, from 519 in 2006/07 ( Table 1).
Population on 30 June 2007
On 30 June 2007, there were 7,154 prisoners in total, 6,810 males and 344 females. Just under half of the prisoners were aged between 25 and 39 ( Table 6). This age distribution is similar to that in 2006.
On 30 June 2007, ethnic minority groups represented 3 per cent (244 prisoners) of the total prison population (including persons awaiting deportation) ( Table 7). The proportion of ethnic minorities in the Scottish population as a whole is around 2 per cent (according to the 2001 Census).
On 30 June 2007, 62 per cent (4,463) of prisoners gave Christian or a Christian denomination as their religion ( Table 8). One hundred and thirty three prisoners (1.9 per cent) specified Muslim as their religion. Thirty four per cent of prisoners were recorded as having no religion.
On 30 June 2007, 8 per cent of all prisoners were given a supervision level of 'High', 50 per cent had a supervision level of 'Medium' and the remaining 42 per cent had a 'Low' supervision level ( Table 9).
Thirty eight per cent of the sentenced population on 30 June 2007 were detained for non-sexual crimes of violence ( Table 10). Chart 3 shows that on 30 June 2007, serious assault and attempted murder was the main crime for 16 per cent of sentenced prisoners, homicide accounted for a further 14 per cent and drugs for another 14 per cent.
Chart 3 Sentenced prison population by selected main crime on 30 June 2007
All but three of those sentenced for crimes of indecency were male. The largest groups of sentenced male prisoners detained on 30 June 2007 for a specific crime were those convicted of homicide, serious assault or drugs offences. The largest group of female prisoners were those sentenced for drugs offences.
Population by Community Justice Authority and Local Authority Area on 30 June 2007
On the 30 th June 2007, 21 per cent of prisoners (1,538) were from the Glasgow CJA region (see Note 15 of Annex for more details on CJA). This consisted of 22% of all male prisoners and 16% of female prisoners. However only 11 per cent of Scotland's population (calculated using the 2007 mid-year population estimates) live in the Glasgow CJA region ( Table 11).
Map 1 below shows the distribution of the imprisonment rate across the local authorities. This rate was calculated using Scottish population estimates for 30 June 2007 from the General Register Office for Scotland.
Map 1 Imprisonment Rate Per 100,000 Population Aged 16+ by Local Authority, 30 June 2007
Prisoners who were homeless or who did not supply any home address details are classified as having no fixed abode and cannot be matched to a CJA or LA. Fifty three per cent of prisoners with no fixed abode were sentenced to 4 years or over, life or they were recalled from supervision ( Table 12).
Prisoners for the Glasgow CJA area made up 22 per cent of remand prisoners, 21 per cent of those sentenced to less than 6 months, 22 per cent of those sentenced to 4 years or over and 28 per cent of those sentenced to life ( Table 12).
Liberations by Community Justice Authority
In 2007/08, 4,440 young offenders and 18,843 adults were liberated from prison ( Table 13 and Table 14). Seventeen per cent of young offender liberations and 21 per cent of adult liberations were for prisoners with a home address in the Glasgow Community Justice Authority area.
Adult prisoners liberated on remand made up 40 per cent (7,596) of all adult liberations in 2007/08. Liberations of adults sentenced to less than 4 years made up 45 per cent (8,517) and adult fine default liberations made up a further 10 per cent (1,866).
Releases on Home Detention Curfew
Release on Home Detention Curfew ( HDC) for low risk prisoners nearing the end of their sentence was started in July 2006. During 2007/08 the average daily population of prisoners in the community under this scheme increased from 273 in April 2007 to 364 in March 2008, the most recent month for which figures are available. The March 2008 HDC population consisted of an average daily population of 324 males and 39 females, 300 adults and 63 young offenders. (Please note that the total numbers are not exactly equal to the sum of their components due to the effects of rounding.)
The total number of releases under the HDC scheme during 2007/08 was 2,082, of which 582 (28 per cent) were recalled to custody ( Table 15).
Receptions
Receptions by sentence type
Remand receptions decreased in 2007/08 to 22,491, from 23,181 in 2006/07 ( Table 16).
The total number of sentenced receptions (including direct sentenced, fine default and recalls from supervision/licence) decreased to 18,227 in 2007/08, from 20,403 in 2006/07. Direct sentenced receptions had an increase of 2 per cent with 14,205 direct sentences in 2007/08 compared to 13,970 in 2006/07. However, there was a decrease in fine default receptions by 39 per cent to 3,610 in 2007/08, from 5,963 in 2006/07.
Chart 4 Prison receptions by sentence type, 1998/99-2007/08
Chart 4 shows that the number of remand receptions increased by 18 per cent between 2005/06 and 2006/07, before decreasing slightly in 2007/08, whilst fine default receptions have declined by 5,903 (62 per cent) over the last 10 years.
In 2007/08, the number of receptions relating to individuals sentenced in the High Court was 851, which represented a 3 per cent decrease on the 2006/07 figure of 880 ( Table 17). From the Sheriff Court (under solemn and summary procedure) the number of receptions in 2007/08 was 14,960 and from the District and Stipendiary Magistrate Courts the number was 1,891. These figures represent 5 per cent, 84 per cent and 11 per cent of all sentenced receptions respectively, a rather similar result to 2006/07. The number of sentenced receptions emanating from District and Stipendiary Courts in 2007/08 decreased by 34 per cent from those in 2006/07. Sheriff Court sentenced receptions also decreased by 7 per cent.
Direct sentenced receptions
Adult direct sentenced receptions increased by 1 per cent to 11,846 in 2007/08, from 11,684 in 2006/07 ( Table 25). Young offender direct sentenced receptions increased by 3 per cent to 2,359 in 2007/08, from 2,286 in 2006/07 ( Table 21).
In 2007/08, the average sentence lengths for young offenders ranged from 97 days for theft from a motor vehicle (by OLP) to 541 days for robbery, and 686 days for serious assault and attempted murder ( Table 24). Of all young offender direct sentenced receptions, 12 per cent sentenced for serious assault and attempted murder and 5 per cent sentenced for robbery were sentenced for 4 years or over.
Among the more common crimes and offences, the average sentence length imposed for determinate direct sentenced receptions of adults in 2007/08 ranged from 104 days for breach of the peace to 763 days for robbery ( Table 28). 12 per cent of adult direct sentenced receptions for drug offences were for sentences of 4 years or more; only those sentenced for robbery and serious assault and attempted murder had a higher proportion of such long sentences (15 per cent and 16 per cent respectively).
Fine default receptions
The number of adult fine default receptions decreased to 3,208 in 2007/08, down 39 per cent from 5,265 in 2006/07. The average length of fine default sentences imposed on adults in 2007/08 was 12 days, which exhibited little change from the average since 1998/99 ( Table 34).
Young offender receptions for fine default decreased by 42 per cent to 402 in 2007/08 from 698 in 2006/07. The average length of fine default sentences imposed on young offenders in 2007/08 was 11 days, which exhibited little change from the average since 1998/99 ( Table 31).
The average fine outstanding for young offenders in 2007/08 was £256, a 2 per cent decrease on the 2006/07 figure of £262 ( Table 32). The average fine outstanding for male young offenders in 2007/08 was £260 and the average fine outstanding for female young offenders in 2007/08 was £168.
The average fine outstanding for adult offenders in 2007/08 was £289 an increase of £10 from the average fine in 2006/07 ( Table 35). Chart 5 shows that adult fine default receptions are largely due to outstanding fines of between £200 and £500 (44 per cent of all fine defaulters) and only 3 per cent have fines outstanding of £1,000 or more. The average fine outstanding for adult males in 2007/08 was £293 and the average fine outstanding for adult females in 2007/08 was £244.
Chart 5 Adult fine default receptions by amount of fine outstanding, 2007/08
Children on unruly certificates
The number of unruly certificates received in 2007/08 was 15 compared with 33 in 2006/07. 14 unruly certificates were related to males ( Table 18) and 1 to females.
In 2007/08, 15 year olds made up the majority of children held on unruly certificates. During 2007/08, 3 unruly certificates were received regarding fourteen year olds, 10 certificates were received in respect of fifteen year olds, 2 certificate for sixteen year olds and no certificates for a seventeen year olds.
The average time spent in custody (before sentence, if any) was 12 days in 2007/08, a decrease from 16 days in 2006/07 ( Table 20). During 2007/08, around 70 per cent of the unruly certificate receptions spent less than 14 days in custody.
Breaches of discipline and punishments
There were 19,597 breaches of discipline recorded in Scottish penal establishments in 2007/08 ( Table 36) compared to a total of 19,271 breaches in 2006/07. The most common breaches were 'disobeying a lawful order' (35 per cent of all breaches), 'possession of an unauthorised article or quantity of an article' (14 per cent), and 'using threatening, abusive, insulting, indecent or obscene words or behaviour' (8 per cent). In response to these breaches, 29,952 punishments were awarded in total. The most commonly awarded punishments were 'stoppage/deduction from earnings or other cash' (43 per cent of all punishments), and 'forfeiture of privileges' (42 per cent).
International comparisons of prison population
In Scotland there were 139 prisoners for every 100,000 members of the general population in 2007. The rate for England and Wales was 150. Imprisonment rates varied greatly between the jurisdictions considered; from 762 per 100,000 population in USA and 628 in the Russian Federation to 61 in Japan and 66 in Slovenia ( Table 37).
Chart 6 Prison population rate per 100,000 population in 2007
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