Persistent young offenders in the Thames valley region wait longer than average from arrest to sentence, new statistics reveal.
The figures, released by the Lord Chancellor's Department, show that in the first three months of this year, the average time from arrest to sentence for habitual young offenders was 88 days and 80 days for cases going through the magistrates' courts.
In Thames Valley, which includes Oxfordshire, the average waiting times were 91 and 87 respectively. These represent an improvement on the area's 2000 figures, which were 103 and 95.
A persistent young offender is a person aged between ten and 17 who has been sentenced on three or more occasions for serious offences. If they are then arrested again within three years, they are classified as persistent.
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