WEDNESDAY, MAY 28, 1986
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MORE DATA ON SENTENCING PATTERN BY YEAR END
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THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STANDARDISED LAW AND ORDER STATISTICAL SYSTEM, WHICH WILL BE PROVIDING DATA BY THE END OF THIS YEAR, WILL HELP THE GOVERNMENT IN PROVIDING MORE INFORMATION ON THE SENTENCING PATTERNS AND AVERAGE SENTENCES IMPOSED ON PERSONS CONVICTED OF UNLAWFUL SOCIETY OFFENCES, THE ACTING ATTORNEY GENERAL, THE HON JAMES FINDLAY, SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).
REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY DR THE HON HO KAM-FAI, MR FINDLAY SAID AS AGGREGATE STATISTICS ON SENTENCES HANDED DOWN FOR THOSE FOUND GUILTY WERE NOT KEPT AS A MATTER OF COURSE AT PRESENT, FULL INFORMATION ON SENTENCING PATTERNS AND AVERAGE SENTENCES OVER THE LAST THREE YEARS WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
HE HOWEVER NOTED THAT SOME RELEVANT STATISTICS WERE AVAILABLE THROUGH TWO SURVEYS CONDUCTED BY THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE ON PROSECUTIONS UNDER THE SOCIETIES ORDINANCE, COVERING 1983 AND JULY TO SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR.
+ IN 1983, 330 PERSONS WERE ARRESTED FOR UNLAWFUL SOCIETY OFFENCES AS THE PRINCIPAL OFFENCE, AS COMPARED TO 572 PERSONS IN 1984 AND 759 PERSONS IN 1985, + HE SAID.
ON THE SENTENCING PATTERNS, HE SAID IN 1983, 32 PER CENT WERE ACQUITTED AND NEARLY HALF WERE CONDITIONALLY DISCHARGED, BOUND OVER, PUT ON PROBATION OR DEALT WITH UNDER THE SUPERINTENDENT'S DISCRETION SCHEME.
NOTING THAT STATISTICS FOR 1983 AND 1984 ON THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF CUSTODIAL SENTENCES WERE NOT READILY AVAILABLE, MR FINDLAY SAID IN LAST YEAR THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF CUSTODIAL SENTENCE FOR THE 12 PERSONS SENTENCED TO PRISON WAS SIX TO 12 MONTHS.
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AS REGARDS THE AVERAGE SIZE OF FINES, HE SAID BETWEEN JULY AND SEPTEMBER LAST YEAR. THE FINES IMPOSED VARIED FROM $250 TO $1 000 WITH THE AVERAGE BEING $605.
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