NCJ Number
162356
Date Published
1996
Length
24 pages
Annotation
In October 1995, the average time taken from offense to completion of indictable cases through magistrate courts in England and Wales involved 125 days, compared to 128 days in October 1994.
Abstract
On average, there were 2.6 adjournments per case in 1995, up from 2.5 in 1994. Adjournment length averaged 23 days in 1995 and 24 days in 1994. In 1995, 19 percent of cases were completed on the first listing; the corresponding figure for 1994 was 18 percent. A sample of 3 weeks in 1995 indicated the average time taken from offense to completion of indictable cases in magistrate courts increased to 130 days from 128 days in 1994. Among proceeding types, summary trials with an initial plea of not guilty showed the largest increase in offense to completion times, up to 175 days in 1995 from 166 days in 1994. Other proceeding types recorded smaller increases or small decreases. Between 1994 and 1995, the average number of adjournments per case increased from 2.5 to 2.6, while the average length of adjournments remained steady at 24 days, and the proportion of cases completed on first listing remained at 20 percent. For those remanded to custody throughout proceedings, the average period from first listing to completion in 1995 as a whole was 51 days, an increase from to the 1994 figure of 49 days. 10 tables and 6 figures