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<p /> <p /> <p>Severe maximum penalties are available for serious offences. Where
an offender is prosecuted and convicted sentencing in individual cases is a matter
for the courts, taking account of all the circumstances of each case. This will include
the age of the offender, the seriousness of the offence, including all aggravating
and mitigating factors, and a guilty plea.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>Since 2010,
crime has continued to fall but at the same time offenders are more likely to be sent
to prison, and for longer. The average custodial sentence length is 15.5 months across
all indictable offences, which is the highest in more than a decade, and the use of
cautions is at its lowest level for 40 years. We are continuing to overhaul sentencing
to ensure that the toughest sentencing measures are available to the courts. We have
introduced an automatic life sentence for a second very serious sexual or violent
offence and we propose to end automatic early release for all dangerous offenders.
All serious offences should always be prosecuted at court. We are clamping down on
the on the use of cautions for serious offences and repeat offenders, and reviewing
the whole spectrum of out of court disposals so we have clarity and consistency and
most importantly we have a system that victims and the public have confidence in.</p><p>
</p><p>Data for 2009 to 2013 on cautions and court outcomes for rape and neglect and
cruelty to children is available at the link below to the new ‘Outcomes by offence'
table. The rape data can be found in the sexual offences section, and the neglect
and cruelty to children data can be found in the ‘violence against the person' section.</p><p>
</p><p><a title="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311319/8-outcomes-by-offence.xls"
href="https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311319/8-outcomes-by-offence.xls"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/311319/8-outcomes-by-offence.xls</a></p><p>
</p><p> </p><p>For the period 2008 please use the following links and select Volume
5, where the classification of the offences remains the same:</p><p> </p><p><a title="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110322191207/http:/www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/criminal-statistics-2008-v5.zip"
href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110322191207/http:/www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/criminal-statistics-2008-v5.zip"
target="_blank">http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110322191207/http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/criminal-statistics-2008-v5.zip</a></p><p>
</p><p>For 2008 cautions, please follow the below link. Select Volume 3 Part 7, which
provides data on ‘Persons cautioned for indictable offences by Offence, sex and age
in table S3.7a'. As above, the classifications remain the same</p><p> </p><p><a href="http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110322191207/http:/www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/criminal-statistics-2008-v3.zip"
target="_blank">http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20110322191207/http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/docs/criminal-statistics-2008-v3.zip</a></p>
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