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6. Supervised Attendance Orders (Charts 18 to 21 and Tables 6.1 to 6.8)
6.1 A total of 3,047 SAOs were imposed on 2,745 individual offenders in 2006-07, a decrease of 20 per cent in the number of orders and individuals compared to 2005-06. The incidence of SAOs was 8.4 per 10,000 population. Eighty two per cent of SAOs were made in respect of males.
Chart 18: Number of Supervised Attendance Orders, 2002-03 to 2006-07
6.2 The incidence of SAOs was highest amongst 18 to 20 year olds (25.5 per 10,000 population) followed by 21 to 25 year olds (22.8) and 26 to 30 year olds (16.1).
6.3 Females receiving SAOs tended to be older than males, with 64 per cent of orders for females and 51 per cent for males being given to offenders aged over 25 years. Correspondingly, 24 per cent of orders for males and 11 per cent for females were made to offenders aged under 21 years.
Chart 19: Supervised Attendance Orders by Age and Gender of Offender, 2006-07
Orders per 10,000 population
6.4 Sheriff Courts imposed the largest number of SAOs (46 per cent of the total), however their share has been decreasing in recent years. Despite an overall reduction in the number of SAOs in 2006-07, the number imposed by the Stipendiary Magistrate Court has continued to increase.
6.5 The majority (81 per cent) of SAOs were made to offenders who were unemployed or not seeking employment, up from 75 per cent in 2005-06.
6.6 Fifty-three per cent of SAOs were for 30 hours or less. Only 15 per cent of Orders were for more than 60 hours. The average length of a supervised attendance order in 2006-07 was 41 hours. On average, males (41 hours) tended to receive longer orders than females (37 hours).
Breach Applications of Supervised Attendance Orders
6.7 There were 1,125 breach applications in respect of SAOs made to the Courts in 2006-07, 23 per cent less than in 2005-06. The number of individuals with breach applications was 996, a decrease of 22 per cent from the 2005-06 total of 1,280.
Chart 20: Breach Applications of SAOs by Outcome, 2004-05 to 2006-07
6.8 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 2006-07 (3,047) can be taken as a proxy measure for the number of orders active during the year. This suggests that just over one in three orders result in a breach application.
6.9 Fifty-three per cent of breach applications were made to Sheriff Courts with a further 32 per cent to District Courts and 16 per cent to the Stipendiary Magistrates. The majority of breach applications (84 per cent) were made in respect of males.
6.10 In 2006-07, 11 per cent of breach applications resulted in the original order being revoked and a custodial sentence being imposed (the same level as in 2005-06). A further 16 per cent were continued without further action (up 2 per cent in 2005-06) and 7 per cent were continued with hours varied (down from 10 per cent in 2005-06). The outcome was not yet known for 31 per cent of breach applications, up slightly from 30 per cent in 2005-06.
Terminations of Supervised Attendance Orders
6.11 A total of 2,724 SAOs were terminated in 2006-07, a decrease of 6 per cent from the previous year's total of 2,912. The majority (61 per cent) were successfully completed, 10 per cent were revoked following a review, 23 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).
Chart 21: Terminations of SAOs by Outcome, 2004-05 to 2006-07
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