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<p>Drug offending is serious in itself and drug abuse also underlies a huge volume
of acquisitive and violent crime which can blight communities. Previous convictions,
where they are recent and relevant, must be treated as an aggravating factor by the
courts and will make the sentence more severe. The independent Sentencing Council
issued a sentencing guideline on drug offences, effective from February 2012, which
brought sentencing guidance together for the first time to help to ensure consistent
and proportionate sentencing for all drug offences that come before courts.</p><p>
</p><p>The table below shows the number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody
for the possession of (a) class A, (b) class B and (c) class C drugs offence in England
and Wales, for the 12 months ending March 2014, by the number of previous convictions.</p>
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