Prison Statistics Scotland, 1998

1. Introduction

1.1 This bulletin on Scottish prison statistics forms part of The Scottish Executive Justice Department series of bulletins on aspects of the criminal justice system.

1.2 The content of the bulletin has not changed significantly this year. We continue to provide more disaggregate information on the age and gender of prisoners with the addition of 16 new tables which detail age and gender statistics relating to receptions of fine defaulters. In addition, a new section has been included which provides information on breaches of discipline and punishments awarded. More gender specific information has been provided to satisfy the Government Statistical Service commitment to publishing more gender based information and also in response to a recommendation in the report Women Offenders : A Safer Way published in May 1998 seeking improved gender specific information relating to offenders to be published by The Scottish Executive.

1.3 Detailed tables can be found in the Appendix and explanations of the terms and classifications used throughout the bulletin are provided in the Annex.

3. Key points

• In 1998 the average daily population in Scottish prisons totalled 6,018, a decrease of 1 per cent when compared with the 1997 figure of 6,084 but still remaining at historically high levels.

• There were, on average, 938 remand prisoners, 4,281 adult sentenced prisoners and 712 sentenced young offenders. The remainder included, amongst others, those persons recalled from supervision or licence and persons awaiting deportation.

• The average daily female prison population has increased steadily from 143 in 1991 to 175 in 1995 and, despite a slight decrease in 1997 to 184, increased to 193 in 1998 (up 5 per cent).

• The average daily population figure conceals fluctuations which occur during the year. In 1998 the highest population recorded was 6,334 on Thursday 25 March 1998. The highest figure recorded in 1997 was 6,366.

• The average daily remand population was 938 (890 males and 48 females) in 1998, a decrease of 1 per cent when compared with the figure of 947 experienced in 1997. Young offender remand numbers increased by 3 per cent from 274 in 1997 to 281 in 1998. Conversely, adult remand numbers decreased by 2 per cent (673 in 1997 and 657 in 1998).

• The average daily young offender sentenced population was 712 in 1998, a decrease of 10 per cent on the 1997 figure of 787. The average daily adult sentenced population was 4,281 in 1998, almost identical to the 1997 figure of 4,282.

• The decrease in the average daily young offender sentenced population was reflected in all population categories with the exception of Section 205 sentences (indeterminate) which exhibited an increase of 11 per cent (from 18 in 1997 to 20 in 1998) and 4 years or over (excluding life) which remained constant at 154.

• The decrease in the average number of adult prisoners serving sentences of less than 3 months was particularly marked (19 per cent) and reflects a large fall in receptions in default of a fine. The average number of adult prisoners serving sentences of 4 years or over (excluding life) increased by 6 per cent to total 1,794 in 1998. In 1998, the number of adult sentenced prisoners serving life or a sentence under Section 205 of the Criminal Procedure (Scotland) Act 1995 rose from 481 in 1997 to 509, an increase of 6 per cent.

• The proportion of prisoners assigned the highest security category (category A) was very small (less than 0.5 per cent). The majority, 60 per cent, were assigned category B with a further 31 per cent assigned category C. The remainder (under 10 per cent) were assigned category D.

• Remand receptions increased from 14,826 in 1997 to 14,995 in 1998, an increase of 1 per cent. In 1998 there were 5,257 young offender remand receptions, 287 more than in 1997, an increase of 6 per cent. Adult remand receptions decreased by 1 per cent from 9,856 in 1997 to 9,738 in 1998. The number of female remand receptions increased by 14 per cent between 1997 and 1998 to reach the highest level recorded in the last ten years.

• The total number of receptions under sentence decreased by 11 per cent between 1997 and 1998, from 23,202 to 20,755. This decrease was almost entirely due to a 22 per cent decrease in receptions in default of a fine which fell by 2,320 to reach 8,400 in 1998.

• There were 2,624 male and 124 female receptions of young offenders under direct sentence in 1998. This compares with 2,707 males and 77 females in 1997. The number of male young offender direct sentenced receptions in 1998 was the lowest level experienced since 1991. However, female young offender direct sentenced receptions were at their highest level this decade.

• There were 9,122 male and 485 female receptions of adults under direct sentence in 1998. This compares with 9,246 males and 452 females in 1997, a decrease of 1 per cent and an increase of 7 per cent respectively.

• The number of receptions for persons who were imprisoned for defaulting on a fine was 8,400 in 1998. This represented a decrease of 22 per cent on the 1997 figure which reversed the increase of 19 per cent noted between 1996 and 1997. The number of male fine default receptions decreased by 22 per cent from 9,983 in 1997 to 7,771 in 1998 and the number of female receptions for fine default decreased by 15 per cent.

• There were 20,941 breaches of discipline in 1998. The most common breaches were ‘disobeying a lawful order’ (23 per cent of all breaches), ‘administering, or allowing to be administered, a controlled drug to himself’ (18 per cent), ‘intentionally refusing to work or failing to work properly’ (10 per cent) and ‘possession of an unauthorised article or quantity of an article’ (9 per cent). In response to these breaches, 31,286 punishments were awarded. The most commonly awarded punishments were forfeiture of privileges (33 per cent of all punishments), stoppage or deduction from earnings (31 per cent) and award of additional days (23 per cent).

• In Scotland there were 118 prisoners for every 100,000 members of the general population in 1998. The rate varied greatly between the jurisdictions considered; from 690 per 100,000 population in Russia and 668 in USA to 89 in France, 60 in Sweden and 42 in Japan.