NCJ Number
126114
Date Published
1990
Length
62 pages
Annotation
This document presents a comprehensive picture of crime and justice in Australia.
Abstract
An overview of crimes in Australia show that the total numbers of crimes have increased. Among violent crimes, serious assaults increased by 236 percent, rape by 132 percent, and robbery by 78 percent. Murder, however, shows no measurable change in rates. A likely victim of crime is a single unemployed male from New Zealand 15 to 24 years old. A profile of offenders indicates that they are young men, Australian born, single, unemployed, with a below average level of education, and prior prison experience. Arrest and trial procedures include arrest, pretrial procedures such as filing charges, court hearings, sentencing, and corrections. A large majority of criminal charges are finalized by the courts of summary jurisdiction. The main types of sentencing available in Australia are care and supervision order, good behavior bond, fine, probation, community service order, suspended prison sentence, home detention, and prison sentence. Of the over half a million sentences handed down each year, about two-thirds are fines; just over 10 percent are prison sentences. 49 tables, 43 figures, and 80 references.