Summary
The formal sanction applied to those convicted of most serious crimes in England and Wales is typically one type of community sentence. While custody remains a key feature of the criminal justice system, despite the policy and media attention they receive prison sentences are much less commonly used than either fines, or some form of community disposal. Not only are community sentences far more common disposals than a custodial sentence, they are also far more readily applied now than in the years before 1990. For every age group and for almost all offences, the use of community sentences has increased and they have become more diverse in scope, and wider in application.