Sentencing to prison on increase

Press, 25 August 1983, Page 2

Sentencing to prison on increase

PA Wellington The number of people being sentenced to prison increased 14 per cent last year, by far the largest increase being among those under 20 years of age. Justice Department statistics for 1982, released yesterday, show that more people are being sentenced to prison than to corrective training. During the year, 4262 people were imprisoned, 14 per cent more than the 3531 imprisoned in 1981, while the number sentenced to corrective training dropped from 768 in 1981, to 756. Over all, 4706 of those imprisoned were males and 312 females, compared with 4368 and 260 respectively in 1981.

The statistics show that young people under 20 were the largest group in prison and corrective training and had the biggest increase in numbers last year. Altogether, 1769 people aged under 20 were imprisoned, 199 more than in the previous year. Of these, 1645 were males and 124 females.

Most of their offences, 1061, were against property, 270 were against the person, 249 affecting the administration of justice, including fine default, and 27 were imprisoned for drug offences. This break-down of offences was similar to the over-all numbers, of which 44 per cent were offences against property, 18 per cent offences against the person, 17 per cent offences affecting the administration of justice, 14 per cent offences against good order, including traffic offences and offences against decency, and 5 per cent drug offences.

While youth made up the largest group, those aged 40 years and, over were the smallest group, 302, and the only group to drop, by 45, from 1981.

Those aged 20 to 24 years were the second-largest group, 1597, up 21, followed by those aged 25 to 29, 746, up 49, and those aged 30 to 39, 604, up 42. The Statistics Department said a fuller selection of prison statistics would be released later.