Table 9.6 People aged 18 or over sentenced to immediate imprisonment: by sex and length of
sentence imposed for principal1 offence, 2006
Percentages and numbers
Males Females
Length of sentence (percentages) Total Length of sentence (percentages) Total
sentenced to sentenced to
Over one immediate Over one immediate
year but imprisonment2 year but imprisonment3
One year less than Four years (=100%) One year less than Four years (=100%)
or less four years or over (numbers) or less four years or over (numbers)
England and Wales 72 19 9 82,443 80 15 5 7,391
North East 67 24 9 3,519 74 22 5 286
North West 71 20 9 12,690 82 14 4 1,161
Yorkshire and The Humber 68 24 8 8,486 76 19 5 667
East Midlands 71 21 8 6,035 78 19 3 395
West Midlands 74 18 8 9,849 85 11 4 857
East 76 17 7 7,263 84 13 3 763
London 72 17 11 15,222 78 15 7 1,621
South East 69 21 10 9,376 77 15 8 874
South West 74 18 8 5,417 83 14 3 440
England 72 19 9 77,857 80 15 5 7,064
Wales 73 21 6 4,586 82 15 3 327
Scotland4,5 89 8 3 12,681 92 7 1 1,094
Northern Ireland6 78 15 7 1,884 89 11 0 82
1 Figures for Scotland are for the total length of sentence given for all offences and not just for the principal offence. Figures on sentence lengths for principal offences only are not
available for Scotland.
2 For Northern Ireland the total number of males sentenced to immediate custody includes one case for which the sentence length was not available.
3 For Scotland, the custodial total for females may include a small number where length of sentence is unknown.
4 To improve comparability, this table excludes breaches of probation and community service orders normally included in Scottish figures.
5 Figures for Scotland relate to 2005/06
6 Figures for Northern Ireland relate to 2005
Source: Office for Criminal Justice Reform; Scottish Government; Northern Ireland Office