While the country continued to suffer from a high rate of crime in 2010, only a small number of criminals were convicted for serious offenses, newly released prison statistics show.
Only 32 percent of the 2,374 people admitted to prison last year were sentenced inmates.
And the vast majority of those inmates who were sentenced were convicted of petty crimes.
Of the 749 people who were sentenced in 2010, 72 percent of them were sentenced to serve a year or less in prison, according to Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP) 2010 Report, which was tabled in the House of Assembly yesterday by National Security Minister Tommy Turnquest.
Just 12 percent or 93 inmates were sentenced to more than two years.
Only 13 people (less than two percent of the people admitted to prison last year) were sentenced to 10 years or more in prison.
In 2010, only two people were sentenced for murder. Only four were sentenced for rape.
