NCJ Number
134771
Date Published
1992
Length
35 pages
Annotation
Based on a review of five British studies, this paper examines the extent to which defendants commit offenses while on bail in England and Wales.
Abstract
Because of methodological differences across the five studies, only limited comparisons can be made, and many qualifications must be made to these. This review of the studies examines what proportion of defendants granted bail commit offenses while on bail and what proportion of recorded crime is committed by persons on bail. The studies show that the proportions of persons granted bail by the courts who were found guilty of offenses committed while on bail were 10 percent in three areas outside London in 1986 and 1988, 12 percent in London in 1988, and 17 percent in Northumbria in 1989. The highest rates of conviction of offenses committed while on bail were found for persons charged with theft of or from a vehicle (23 percent in London) and with burglary (20 percent and 16 percent in and outside London); the lowest rates were found for persons charged with violence offenses (6 to 8 percent). The proportion of crime that was committed by defendants who were on bail is examined for each jurisdiction targeted by the five studies. The percentages ranged from 11 percent to 31 percent. 4 tables and 9 references