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The remand prison population is made
up mainly of people awaiting trial but it also includes those
who have been convicted but are awaiting sentence.
Reflecting the fundamental principle that an individual is
considered innocent until proven guilty, the Bail Act 1976
asserts a presumption in favour of bail for all people awaiting
trial except those on charges of murder, attempted murder,
manslaughter, rape or attempted rape. The legislation presumes
that an individual will be remanded on bail with various conditions
attached unless there are strong reasons to remand them into
custody. These include:
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They have been accused of carrying
out a particularly serious offence
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They have previous convictions for
similar offences
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There are reasons to believe that
they could disappear before their trialThey have been
accused of carrying out a particularly serious offence
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There are reasons to believe that
they may interfere with witnesses
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They is a belief they are likely to
commit further offences before their trial
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The use of custodial remand can also
reflect the failure to abide by the terms of previous
community sentences
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(Click here
to read about how bail decisions are
taken in court)
If a person is granted bail there will be a number of different
conditions attached, which if breached, often result in imprisonment.
These can include a range of requirements such as reporting
to a local police station at regular intervals, attendance on
a drug treatment programme or staying away from a particular
area or location.
Who is remanded into custody?
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The majority (93 per cent) of remand
prisoners are men.
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Although women make up a small minority
of all remand prisoners, they represent almost a quarter
(23 per cent) of the current female prison population
and make up the majority (61 per cent) of women who
enter prison in a year.
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Eight out of ten people received into
prison on remand are charged with a non- violent offence.
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In 2001 the largest proportion, 27
per cent, were remanded into custody for theft and handling
of stolen goods. This suggests that remand is often
used unnecessarily.
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The average age of a remand prisoner
is 27. More than one in five are under 21. Around five
per cent are between 15 and 17 years old.
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A significant proportion of those
held on remand have been in prison before. A study carried
out by NACRO found that 65 per cent of respondents had
been remanded into custody before.
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Number of
people received into prison on remand in 2001
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Offence group
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Total
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Violence against the person
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11,946
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Sexual offences
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2,248
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Burglary
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11,760
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Robbery
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4,439
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Theft and Handling
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22,037
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Fraud and Forgery
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1,775
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Drug offences
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7,265
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Other
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18,022
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Not recorded
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3,167
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Total
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82,688
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(N.B. Total receptions cannot
be calculated by adding together receptions in each category,
because there is double counting)
(Source: Home Office Prison Statistics
England and Wales 2001)
Remand Population by Offence Type March
2003
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Offence group
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Total
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Violence against the person
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2,516
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Sexual offences
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531
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Burglary
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1,781
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Robbery
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1,280
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Theft and Handling
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1,776
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Fraud and Forgery
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275
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Drug offences
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1,751
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Motoring offences
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370
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Other
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1,545
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Not recorded
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1,083
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Total
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12,908
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(Source: Home Office, March 2003
Prison Population Briefing) |
