Earl of Dalkeith
asked the Secretary of State for Scotland what percentage of the persons convicted for crimes of violence in Scotland in 1968 and 1969 had previously been fined or served prison sentences for similar offences.
§ Mr. Ross
7.4 per cent. (106 persons) of the persons convicted of a crime of violence in 1968 are known to have had a previous conviction for a similar offence. The provisional corresponding figure for 1969 is 8.8 per cent. (108 persons).
The criminal statistics do not distinguish between the types of sentence imposed in respect of previous convictions for a similar offence.