NCJ Number
86413
Journal
Research Bulletin Issue: 14 Dated: (1982) Pages: 41-44
Date Published
1982
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This study examines patterns of use of section 53 of Britain's Children and Young Persons Act of 1933, which makes special provisions for sentencing juveniles convicted of grave crimes.
Abstract
Section 53 of the Children and Young Persons Act provides for the imprisonment of any juvenile convicted of any offense punishable by 14 or more years imprisonment had it been committed by an adult. A juvenile convicted under S. 53 may be imprisoned for a determinate period or for life. This study examined Criminal Statistics and additional tables for 1966-80. Information was also obtained from Prison Department and Parole Board records on all the juveniles sentenced under S. 53 in six sample years (1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1975, and 1978). The data permit consideration of offender characteristics, the offense, and the judges' remarks on sentencing. The highest number of juveniles detained in any one year was 81 in 1978. Over the 15-year period, 559 juveniles were detained. More than half of those detained were aged 16, and 22 percent were age 14. More juveniles were detained for robbery than for any other offense. The significant majority of detention orders specified a determinate period; only 8 percent were life sentences. The sentences ranged from 6 months to 20 years, with 55 percent being 3-4 years. Although no single conclusive explanation can be given for why the courts have used S. 53 more often in the past 10 years than previously, it is possible that the increase in its use may be part of a general tendency to award more severe sentences. There is no evidence that detention sentences are being awarded to juveniles who have committed less serious offenses than previously or to those with less serious records of previous offending. Tabular data are provided.