Nearly 200 criminals with at least 50 previous convictions each avoided a jail sentence in just one year in West Yorkshire.

Figures from the Ministry of Justice show there 180 offenders convicted in 2016, the most recent figures available, who had 50 or more previous convictions, who were given a non-custodial sentence.

In the figures non-custodial sentences include all outcomes except immediate custody and suspended sentences.

This was 59% of the 307 offenders convicted in 2016 who had at least 50 previous convictions.

The figures also show that of those convicted in the West Yorkshire police force area, 64 had at least 75 previous convictions, of which 41 were given a non-custodial sentence.

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Among offenders aged 10 to 17, 48 had already racked up 10 or more convictions. Of these, 36 were given non-custodial sentences when they appeared in court in 2016.

In Yorkshire and the Humber in 2016, an offender with 133 previous convictions for violence against the person, and a total of 354 previous convictions, avoided jail or a suspended sentence for their latest violence against the person offence.

Also in the region, a person with 27 previous convictions for burglary, and 66 previous convictions in total, was given a non-custodial sentence for burglary, while an offender with 16 previous convictions for drug offences were given non-custodial sentences for their most recent drug offences.

There was also a non-custodial sentence given to an offender for sexual offences other than rape, who had two previous convictions for sexual offences, as well as a non-custodial sentence for taking indecent pictures of children to an offender with two previous convictions for the crime.

The figures were revealed following a Freedom of Information Request to the Ministry of Justice, and 6,600 offenders who appeared in court in 2016 had 50 or more previous convictions, with only around half of these, 3,800, being given a custodial sentence at their court appearance.

Of these around 1,600 had 75 or more previous convictions, with around 960 people in this group given custodial sentences.

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The sentence given to an offender will depend on the seriousness of the crime they are being sentenced for, and the relevant sentencing guidelines - in some cases a custodial sentence may not have been appropriate.

Records of offenders’ previous convictions are considered as part of sentencing to look at patterns of offending, assess how dangerous an offender may be, and to look at what sentence may be most effective at reducing future offending.

Research by the Ministry of Justice released this week suggests that short prison sentences may not be the right approach for prolific offenders, but suspended sentences may work better.

The research found that for those with more than 50 previous offences, the odds of re-offending were 36% higher where short-term custody (less than 12 months) rather than a court order was given. It also found, for those with more than 50 previous offences, the odds of re-offending were 9% lower where a suspended sentence order rather than a community order was given.

A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “Under this government the most serious offenders are more likely to go to prison, and for longer, helping protect the public and keep communities safe.

“Overall, Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) have reduced the number of people re-offending, and through our reforms we’re monitoring 40,000 offenders who would previously have been released with no supervision at all.

“Sentencing is a matter for the independent judiciary, who take into account the full facts of each case.”