YOUNG offenders in the region are being sentenced quicker from the time of their arrest, new figures show.
The figures, compiled by the Lord Chancellor's department, show that the average number of days from arrest to sentence at court are generally dropping.
Five years ago, the Government pledged to halve the average time from arrest to sentence for persistent young offenders, from 142 to 71 days.
Figures for all 42 criminal justice areas in England and Wales for April to June 2001, show that in North Yorkshire the average time is 67 days.
In Cleveland the figure is 68, in Durham it is 74 and in Northumbria, 61.
With the exception of County Durham, whose figure is the same as the previous quarter, the areas have seen the average time drop from the previous period, January to March 2001.
Nationally, the average figure is 73 days. The longest average time from arrest to sentence at court currently is 105 days, in the Metropolitan area in London.
The shortest is 51 days, in Bedfordshire.
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