700k crooks with multiple convictions burdening our courts – 100k in London

Posted by GLA Conservatives in News   Share2014

Sep
5

· Nationally, half of these criminals have more than 10 previous convictions
· ‘Mandatory training or education for first time prisoners will get people into jobs and out of criminality’

Courts in London are having to deal with tens of thousands of offenders who already have been convicted multiple times.

FOI figures show 97,039 offenders with two or more previous convictions were yet again brought before our courts in the last two years.¹

Over a third of these criminals (38,576) have 10 or more previous convictions, whilst 60,101 have been convicted at least 6 times.
 

The national picture

In England and Wales, 701,087 offenders with at least 2 previous convictions returned to our courts over the same two-year period.²

Half of these criminals (338,592 offenders) have more than 10 previous convictions, whilst almost half a million (482,141) have at least 6 convictions.

GLA Conservative London Assembly Member, Tony Arbour, uncovered the figures and is calling on training and education to become mandatory for first timers in prison.
 

GLA Conservative London Assembly Member, Tony Arbour, said:

“Crime may be falling but it’s shocking to see our justice system periodically churning out the same old characters who seem to be collecting convictions as if they’re medals. Where appropriate, the courts should have powers to impose mandatory training or education for first-timers going to prison. Whether it’s basic literacy or vocational programmes, arming people with skills and qualifications will help them into jobs and out of a life of criminality. Society will benefit and we will save the public purse huge amounts of cash in the long run.”

References
¹ FOI figures for London provided directly to Tony Arbour by the MOJ. These relate to the two year period between September 2011 and September 2013.
² FOI figures for England and Wales provided directly to Tony Arbour by the MOJ. These relate to the two year period between September 2011 and September 2013.