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<p>Sentencing in individual cases is a matter for our independent judiciary, taking
account of the circumstances of the case and the maximum penalty for the offence.
However, when sentencing an offender the courts must treat recent and relevant previous
convictions as an aggravating factor. There is also a mandatory minimum sentence of
three years’ imprisonment for a third conviction for domestic burglary. The sentencing
guideline for burglary aims to ensure that the effect on victims is at the centre
of considerations about what sentence each offender should receive. The average custodial
sentence length for domestic burglary has increased from 21.4 months in 2009 to 23.6
months in 2013.</p><p> </p><p>This Government is committed to strengthening sentences,
so that they combine both punishment and requirements that are effective at preventing
further offending. We are transforming rehabilitation, by bringing together the best
of the public, private and voluntary sectors, and only rewarding them when they actually
do reduce reoffending.</p><p> </p><p>The highest number of previous convictions for
burglary by an offender who was convicted of a further burglary offence and not sentenced
to immediate custody for the further offence by court or Local Justice Area (LJA)
in England and Wales, from the 12 months ending March 2010 to the 12 months ending
March 2014, is given in Table 1.</p><p> </p><p>The offenders concerned (and one of
the two offenders in 2010, is the same offender in 2011 and 2013) have long offending
histories, and they have received immediate custodial sentences for most of their
burglary convictions, the vast majority of which were not for domestic burglary.</p><p>Table
1: The highest number<sup>1</sup> of previous convictions for burglary by an offender
who was convicted of a further burglary offence and not sentenced to immediate custody
for the further offence<sup>3</sup> by court or Local Justice Area (LJA) in England
and Wales, 12 months ending March 2010 to 12 months ending March 2014.</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong><em>12
months ending March </em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Court </em></strong></p></td><td><p><strong><em>Number<sup>1
</sup>of previous convictions</em></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>2010</em></p></td><td><p><em>Sussex</em><em>
(Western) Local Justice Area & Horseferry Road Magistrates Court</em></p></td><td><p><em>61,61</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>2011</em></p></td><td><p><em>Bristol
Local Justice Area</em></p></td><td><p><em>64</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>2012</em></p></td><td><p><em>Manchester</em><em>
Magistrates Court</em></p></td><td><p><em>47</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>2013<sup>*</sup></em></p></td><td><p><em>Central
London Local Justice Area </em></p></td><td><p><em>65</em></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><em>2014</em></p></td><td><p><em>South
East Surrey Local Justice Area</em></p></td><td><p><em>52</em></p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="2"><p><strong><em>Source</em></strong><em>: Ministry of Justice, Police National
Computer (PNC)</em></p></td><td><p><strong><em> </em></strong></p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="3"><p><em>1. Number of previous convictions are counts of the number of separate
occasions an offender has previously been convicted of burglary.</em></p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="3"><p><em>2. All data have been taken from the MoJ extract of the Police
National Computer. This includes details of all convictions, cautions, reprimands
or warnings given for recordable offences (see www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2000/1139/schedule/made
for definition). It is therefore possible that some offenders presented in the table
above have previously also received convictions for offences not recorded on the PNC.</em></p></td></tr><tr><td
colspan="3"><p><em>3. An offender may have had previous convictions for which they
received an immediate custodial sentence</em></p></td></tr><tr><td colspan="2"><p><em>*
One of the two offenders in 2010 is also the relevant offender</em></p><p><em> in
2011 and 2013.</em></p></td><td><p><em> </em></p></td></tr></tbody></table>
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