MAGISTRATES in Surrey are nearly twice as likely to punish people with a prison sentence than those in other parts of the country, new figures have revealed.
The research, obtained by the charity Howard League for Penal Reform, shows courts in Surrey imposed a custodial sentence in 2.9 per cent of cases heard in 2011, compared with 1.5 per cent in Warwickshire and 1.6 per cent in Northumbria.
Of the 16,062 sentences handed down to men and women in that period, 468 were custodial.
Overall, magistrates in England and Wales reduced their use of custody by a quarter between 2001 and 2011.
But Frances Crook, chief executive of the charity, said the figures showed a worrying case of postcode lottery when it came to sentencing, with some areas making better use of community sentences.
"It is pleasing to see that magistrates' courts are sending fewer people to prison overall than they have in the past," she added. "However, one cannot ignore the striking disparity in sentencing trends between different criminal justice areas."
