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Prison Numbers Downby One Third

Posted on: Friday, 1 October 2004, 06:00 CDT

THE prison population in Northern Ireland has fallen by more than one third in the five years up to 2000, new statistics reveal.

The numbers have fallen from 1,278 in 1996 to 729 last year.

A total of 443 prisoners have been discharged under the early release scheme, 123 released during 2000.

The details are in the Research and Statistical Bulletin: The Northern Ireland Prison Population in 2000, published by the NIO.

The report reveals that the overall prison population is predominantly male (98% in 2000) and over half of those given immediate custody are aged between 17 and 29 years.

Last year, 65% of the immediate custody population had been convicted of violent offences (violence against the person, robbery and sexual offences) compared to 73% in 1996.

Although the numbers of sexual offenders in the prison population remains similar to that five years ago, sexual offenders account for a larger proportion of the total population in 2000 (15%) than in 1996 (8%).

This rise is partially explained by the cut in the total population due to the release of prisoners under the early release scheme.

The bulletin also shows that the number serving determinate sentences of more than five years fell by nearly two thirds between 1996 and 2000. And the life sentence population more than halved during the same period.

A total of 5,186 prisoners were received into prison during 2000, 9% lower than in 1999.The 2000 figure is similar to those recorded between 1992 and 1995.

Northern Ireland had a rate of 70 prisoners per 100,000 population in 1999 compared to 125 in England and Wales, and 120 in Scotland.

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