NCJ Number
199976
Date Published
January 2003
Length
12 pages
Annotation
This document discusses the use of bail and statistics on offending while on bail in 1999.
Abstract
An offense committed while on bail is defined as a conviction for an offense committed while on bail. Some court proceedings for offenses committed while on bail were not finalized until 2 years after offense was committed. So convictions for the 2 years after 1999 were included in the measurement of offending on bail for 1999. Results show that for each year, from 1990 to 1999, between 45 percent and 51 percent of cases finalized that did not start and finish on the same day, involved a remand on bail. In 1999, 77 percent of cases where a person was charged with a violent offense as the major charge resulted in the person being remanded on bail. The number of cases that involved a remand on bail has tended to increase. The number of violent cases that involved a remand on bail almost doubled between 1990 and 1999, with the major increase occurring between 1992 and 1994. In recent years the number of violent cases involving a remand on bail has decreased by 11 percent. The major types of offenses contributing to the overall increase were “male assaults female,” serious assault, and grievous assault. The proportion of people that offended while on bail changed very little between 1990 and 1999. In 1999, those on bail charged with a property offense or an offense against justice were the most likely to offend while on bail. Those on bail charged with a miscellaneous offense were the least likely to offend while on bail. In 1999, the most common offenses committed while on bail were property offenses, traffic offenses, and offenses against justice. In 1999, for people on bail charged with a violent offense, 5 percent committed another violent offense while on bail. 3 figures, 8 tables, 4 references