NCJ Number
138922
Date Published
1991
Length
11 pages
Annotation
Total offenses recorded by the police in Northern Ireland totaled 57,198 in 1990, a 4-percent increase over 1989.
Abstract
Sexual offenses between 1980 and 1990 increased more than twofold, while offenses involving violence against the person, fraud, and forgery almost doubled. Theft and robbery increased by 20 percent over the decade, while burglary and criminal damage offenses declined. A total of 21,475 notifiable offenses were cleared by the police in 1990, representing an overall clearup rate of 38 percent. The number of defendants processed in magistrate courts during 1990 for summary and indictable offenses totaled 15,495, a 3-percent increase over 1989. The number of defendants processed in the Crown Court reached 1,422 in 1990, a 4- percent increase over the previous year. Almost 90 percent of all defendants brought to court pleaded guilty, and most cases therefore resulted in a guilty finding. A disproportionate number of those found guilty were young adults. The most frequently used disposal in the Crown Court was immediate custody, given to 48 percent of those found guilty in 1990; a further 30 percent received a suspended custodial sentence. A fine was the most common disposal in magistrate courts, given to 34 percent of those convicted of indictable offenses in 1990, 65 percent of those convicted of summary offenses, and 94 percent of those convicted of motoring offenses. For indictable offenses, juveniles were more likely than adults to receive immediate custody, less likely to receive a suspended custodial sentence, more likely to receive a conditional discharge, more likely to receive community supervision, and less likely to be fined. The prison population declined steadily from a peak level in 1978 to an average of 1,785 in 1990. The prison population had a high proportion of persons serving long-term or life sentences, with 73 percent serving sentences of over 3 years. The number of shooting incidents recorded during 1990 totaled 559, a level similar to that of 1989. 8 tables and 10 figures