Almost 500 people end up in the nick

Almost 500 people in Renfrewshire have spent time in custody in the past year, new figures reveal.

A report released by the Scottish Government detailing the number of people given custodial sentences shows that 486 in the local authority have been jailed in 2019/20.

The new figures list the number of people in custody over the last decade, and the figure has been steadily decreasing in Renfrewshire since 2016.

In 2010/11 there were 610 people sent to prison from Renfrewshire.

The reduction in custodial sentences in Renfrewshire follows a national trend across Scotland.

Renfrewshire does fall within the top ten local authorities in Scotland with people receiving custodial sentences, ranking ninth on the list.

The area also ranks ninth on the list of prisoners per 1000 population - with 2.7 people per 1000 sentenced to custody.

According to the government report, the reduction of people in custody is due to the length of custodial sentences.

However, it also adds that “no single factor can explain why changes in the prison population have occurred”.

In Scotland, a total of 7,294 individuals experienced imprisonment for all or part of 2019/20 – a fall of around 15 per cent since 2010/11 when the figure was 20,407.

The report reads: “While the number of people imprisoned has fallen, individuals are spending longer periods in custody – the latter determined by decisions made by the court as to the use and length of custodial sentences.”

The report also highlights that there has been an increase in the length of time prisoners spent in custody over the last decade.

It reads: “The average length of time spent in custody has increased since 201011, with the proportion of individuals leaving prison having spent a year or more in custody rising from seven per cent to 10 per cent, and the proportion leaving after spending up to three months in custody falling from 70 per cent to 58 per cent.”