NCJ Number
208254
Date Published
2004
Length
126 pages
Annotation
Statistics on criminal proceedings for England and Wales for 2003 address offenders cautioned or found guilty, court proceedings, the use of police bail and court remand, and "offenses brought to justice" (when an offender has been cautioned, convicted, or had the offense taken into consideration by the court).
Abstract
Statistics pertain to calendar year 2003, except for recorded crime, case clearances, and arrests, which encompass fiscal year 2003-04. The British Crime Survey (BCS) of 2003-04, the victimization survey for England and Wales, estimated there were 11.7 million crimes against adults living in private households, a 5-percent decline from the previous year. Violent crime remained stable according to the BCS, but violent crime recorded by the police showed a 12-percent increase compared with the previous year. Both the BCS and police crime data showed decreases in vehicle thefts by 10 percent and 9 percent, respectively; domestic burglary declined by 8 percent according to police statistics, but remained stable according to BCS figures. Provisional data indicate there were 1.3 million arrests for notifiable offenses, a 1-percent increase from the previous year. In 2003, 1.73 million persons were found guilty or cautioned, 5 percent more than in 2002. The number of defendants proceeded against in magistrates' courts in 2003 was 2.01 million, 4 percent more than in 2002, and 80,900 were committed for trial in Crown Court, 1 percent fewer than in 2002. A total of 1.03 million offenders (73 percent) were fined in 2003, compared with 973,000 in 2002. A total of 191,000 offenders received community sentences in 2003, 3 percent more than in 2002; 12 percent of offenders at the magistrates' courts received a community sentence compared with 30 percent at the Crown Court. At the Crown Court, immediate custody was given in 58 percent of the cases, 3 percent lower than 2002. The number of offenses "brought to justice" in 2003-04 was provisionally 1.07 million. Extensive tables and figures and appended supplementary data and description of procedures and legislation that affected the statistics