NCJ Number
204780
Date Published
2003
Length
258 pages
Annotation
This report is the third and final volume on crime and criminal justice in South Australia in 2002; this volume describes criminal matters finalized by the Magistrates, District and Supreme Courts, and also reports on persons supervised by the Department for Correctional Services.
Abstract
Eight sections present 2002 data regarding outcomes and penalties in cases finalized by Magistrates; outcomes and penalties in cases finalized in Supreme and District Courts; prison receptions; daily average number of prisoners; persons in custody as of December 31, 2002; prisoners discharged; community-based corrections orders commenced; and community-based corrections orders completed. Following an introduction, a summary of the 2002 statistics, and a section on how to use crime and justice reports, a narrative overview is presented of the Magistrates Courts of South Australia, the Supreme and District Courts, and the Correctional Services. The remainder of the report presents tables containing statistical data about criminal case dispositions and about persons supervised by the Department for Correctional Services. During 2002, 30,359 cases were finalized in the Magistrates Court, 67 cases were finalized in the Supreme Court, and 921 cases were finalized in the District Court. The Magistrates’ cases represent a 12.9 percent increase from cases finalized in 2001, while the Supreme and District Court cases represent a 4.7 percent increase in cases disposed of in 2001. Driving offenses were reported as the major charge in 24.5 percent of Magistrate cases. Over half of all cases finalized in Magistrates Court (51.8 percent) resulted in a conviction of the major charge during 2002. In the Supreme and District Courts, drug offenses were reported as the major charge in 29.9 percent of cases. In 76.2 percent of higher court cases, defendants pleaded or were found guilty of at least one major charge. Imprisonment was the most frequently imposed sanction (45.9 percent) in higher courts during 2002. Turning to the activities of the Department of Correctional Services, 3,723 prisoners were received into custody during 2002, representing a 1.2 percent increase over 2001 receptions. The daily average prison population increased from 1,395 per day in 2001 to 1,458 per day in 2002. On December 31, 2002, there were 1,457 prisoners in custody, 67.6 percent of whom were sentenced prisoners. During 2002, 3,665 prisoners were discharged from custody and 9,670 community-based corrections orders were commenced, representing a 2.4 percent decrease since 2001. Community-based orders completed increased from 9,420 in 2001 to 10,004 in 2002. Tables, appendix