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6. Supervised Attendance Orders (Charts 19-23 and Tables 29-35 and 60)
6.1 A total of 3,360 SAOs were imposed on 2,965 individual offenders in 2004-05, an increase of 11 per cent in orders and 10 per cent in individuals compared to 2003-04. Eighty three per cent of SAOs were made in respect of males.
Number of Supervised Attendance Orders, 2000-01 to 2004-05
Chart 19
6.2 The incidence of SAOs was 9.3 per 10,000 population in 2004-05. This rate was highest in Angus (42.2), South Ayrshire (25.5) and East Ayrshire (21.0), and lowest in Moray (0.5), Orkney Islands (0.7) and Shetland Islands (1.3).
Number of SAOs per 10,000 population by Local Authority, 2004-05
Chart 20
6.3 Females receiving SAOs tended to be older than males, with 63 per cent of orders for females and 52 per cent for males being given to offenders aged over 25 years. Correspondingly, 21 per cent of orders for males and 12 per cent for females were made to offenders aged under 21 years.
6.4 The incidence of SAOs was highest amongst 21 to 25 year olds (27.9 per 10,000 population) followed by 18 to 20 year olds (27.7).
Supervised Attendance Orders by Age and Gender of Offender, 2004-05
Orders per 10,000 population
Chart 21
6.5 The majority of SAOs were given by Sheriff Courts (69 per cent). Females were slightly more likely to receive SAOs from District Courts (29 per cent) than males (22 per cent).
6.6 The majority (69 per cent) of SAOs were made to offenders who were unemployed or not seeking employment, up from 66 per cent in 2003-04.
6.7 Forty-six per cent of SAOs were for 30 hours or less. Only 15 per cent of Orders were for more than 60 hours.
Breach Applications of Supervised Attendance Orders
6.8 There were 1,203 breach applications in respect of SAOs made to the Courts in 2004-05, 19 per cent more than in 2003-04. The number of individuals with breach applications was 1,084, an increase of 23 per cent from the 2003-04 total of 878.
Breach Applications of SAOs by Outcome, 2002-03 to 2004-05
Chart 22
6.9 The number of breach applications is not directly comparable with the number of orders provided previously (which covers new orders only) as some of the breach applications may relate to orders started in the previous year. However, as SAOs are expected to be completed within a 12 month period (and usually within 6 months), the number of orders started in 2004-05 (3,360) can be taken as a proxy measure for the number of orders active during the year. This suggests that roughly one in three orders result in a breach application.
6.10 Seventy-one per cent of breach applications were made to Sheriff Courts with a further 16 per cent to District Courts and 13 per cent to the Stipendiary Magistrates. The majority of breach applications (84 per cent) were made in respect of males.
6.11 In 2004-05, 8 per cent of breach applications resulted in the original order being revoked and a custodial sentence being imposed, compared to 7 per cent in 2003-04. A further 15 per cent were continued without further action as in 2003-04 and 7 per cent were continued with hours varied, down from 11 per cent in 2003-04. The outcome was not yet known for 41 per cent of breach applications.
Terminations of Supervised Attendance Orders
6.12 A total of 2,385 SAOs were terminated in 2004-05, an increase of 6 per cent from the previous year's total of 2,259. The majority (68 per cent) were successfully completed including those given early discharge following a review. Twenty-three per cent of orders were revoked following a breach application to the court and the remainder were terminated for other reasons (including transfer to another area and death of the offender).
Terminations of SAOs by Outcome, 2002-03 to 2004-05
Chart 23
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