/ 

# Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Update To March 2013 England And Wales Ministry Of Justice Statistics Bulletin

 
 Published 22 August 2013  

## Contents

 Contents...................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................. 2 Executive summary..................................................................................................... 4 
Out of court disposals .............................................................................................. 5 
Court proceedings and remand................................................................................ 6 Offenders found guilty.............................................................................................. 7 Sentencing ............................................................................................................... 8 
Gender comparisons.............................................................................................. 10 
Offending histories ................................................................................................. 10 Explanatory notes ..................................................................................................... 17 
Symbols and conventions ...................................................................................... 17 
Guidance on tables and supplementary volumes .................................................. 17 
 
Contacts.................................................................................................................... 17 

## Introduction

 This report presents the key statistics on activity in the Criminal Justice System (CJS) 
for England and Wales. It provides information for the latest twelve months (April 2012 to March 2013) with accompanying commentary, analysis and presentation of longer term trends. The data provides users with information about proven offending and its outcomes in England and Wales. The contents of this bulletin will be of interest to government policy makers in the development of policy and their subsequent monitoring and evaluation. Others will be interested in the way different crimes are dealt with in the CJS. Where appropriate, comparisons are made with different sources covering activity in the CJS - in particular, numbers of crimes recorded by the police, often the starting point for crimes dealt with by other CJS agencies1. The information in this publication for the first quarter of 2013 in relation to court proceedings and outcomes is provisional. A technical document titled "A Guide to Criminal Justice Statistics" is available alongside this bulletin, which provides users with detailed information on the concepts and methods used in compiling this bulletin, including the quality of the data, along with guidance on statistical revisions and forthcoming changes. A copy of the technical document can be found at: 
www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-march-2013 
 
Remands The remand status at magistrates' courts in previous editions of this publication have been estimated, because they were either based on incomplete returns, or because of problems in the way central systems interfaced with the Libra case management system to identify the remand status. MoJ statisticians have resolved as far as is possible the data problems with the remand status at magistrates' courts, and have published revised estimates for the 
12 months ending March 2011 up to the 12 months ending March 2013 within the Chapter 3 tables. Revised remands tables for calendar years 2011 and 2012 have also been published alongside this bulletin, specifically updating the information on remand status at magistrates' courts. A description of the methodology of the fix which has been applied to estimate remand status at magistrates' courts is providing in the technical document. Implementation of changes to offence classifications In July 2013, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) re-designed the classifications used to present police recorded crime statistics, following recommendations from the National Statistician's review of Crime Statistics in England and Wales in June 2011. The changes to classifications were implemented in the ONS statistical bulletin 'Crime in England and Wales, year ending March 2013', published in July 2013, alongside a methodological note2 providing more detail on the changes and their impact on time-series for key measures. No change has been made to the coverage of offences in the police recorded crime series, and most changes are presentational, with some offences moving between classifications or being separated out of existing groupings. In this publication, the Executive Summary statistical tables which providing offence group breakdowns have been presented on both the old and new classification bases, and Chapter 6 (offences) has been adapted to match the new classification. 

Interpretation 
 
This publication presents information for the latest 12 month period (the twelve months ending March 2013) alongside the same rolling 12 month periods ending March for the previous ten years. The comparison of 12 rolling month periods has the advantage over reporting on shorter timeframes - for example, covering only the latest quarter - of avoiding misinterpretation of short-term fluctuations caused by seasonality (for example, reduced court volumes every December when many of the courts are closed over the Christmas period), and enables the presentation of longer-term trends across comparable reporting periods. In this publication: 

 
the **"latest year"** refers to the **12 months ending March 2013**; 
 
the **"previous year"** refers to the **12 months ending March 2012**; and 
 
any other reference period will be referred to explicitly.

## Further Guidance On The Symbols And Conventions Used In The Bulletin Is Provided In The 'Explanatory Notes' Section. If You Have Any Feedback, Questions Or Requests For Further Information About This Statistical Bulletin, Please Direct Them To The Appropriate Contact Given At The End Of This Report.

Executive summary This summary explains how the various criminal justice agencies deal with an defendant once identified, presents the recent trends on how the Criminal Justice System (CJS) response to offending is changing, and identifies factors that may be causing the changes, where identifiable. Once a suspect has been identified by the police, charged and arrested, the police work with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in deciding the most appropriate course of action in each case. The decision can be made to not take the offender to court, through a number of available "out-of-court disposals", or to proceed against the defendant at a magistrates' court. The total number of individuals, which includes people and companies, who have been dealt with formally by the CJS in England and Wales, in either of these ways, has been declining since the 12 months ending March 2006, with 1.82 million individuals dealt with in the latest year. Police recorded crime peaked in 2003/04, and recorded offences are now lower than at any time over the past decade. The number of individuals dealt with formally by the CJS for the first time has also fallen since the 12 months ending March 2007 - with 171,100 'first time entrants' to the CJS in the latest year, a decline of 46% since 2007. The reduction has been much sharper for juveniles (74% over the same period), reflecting both a decreasing number of juvenile offenders reprimanded or issued with a warning and the decreasing numbers of juveniles found guilty in all courts. However, per head of population, the rate of juvenile first time entrants remains higher than for adults. 

Criminal offences can be divided into three main offence groups: 
 
 
Indictable proceedings, which cover the more serious offences such as violent 
and sexual offences and robbery, and when heard in court tend to be passed on to the Crown Court, either for sentencing or for a full trial with a judge and jury. This group includes both 'indictable only' offences, which can only be tried on indictment in the Crown Court by a judge and jury, and 'triable-either-way' offences which are triable either summarily in a magistrate's court or on indictment in the Crown Court; 
 
Summary proceedings, which cover less serious offences, are almost always 
handled entirely in the magistrates' courts when dealt with in court, with the majority completed at the first hearing. They are split into two categories: 
 
 
Summary non-motoring proceedings, such as TV license evasion and less serious criminal damage; and 
 
 
Summary motoring proceedings, such as speeding and driving whilst 
disqualified. 
 
Out of court disposals Until the introduction of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) in 2004 and formal warnings for possession of cannabis in 2005, the only out of court disposal available to police was a caution. Since the 12 months ending March 2003, the use of out of court disposals increased rapidly and peaked in the 12 months ending March 2008, before decreasing year on year - with 363,800 individuals issued an out of court disposal in the latest year. The increase to the 12 months ending March 2008 coincided with the introduction in 2001 of a target to increase offences brought to justice, and the decrease coincided with the replacement in April 2008 of the target with one placing more emphasis on bringing serious crimes to justice. The latter target was subsequently removed in May 2010. 

The use of out of court disposals decreased by 14% in the latest year, with each type of disposal used less than in the previous year. The biggest decreases were in the use of PNDs (101,100 issued compared with 122,800 in the previous year) and cautions for indictable offences (101,300 issued compared with 119,600 in the previous year).  
 
Court proceedings and remand All criminal cases proceeding to court in England and Wales start in a magistrates' court. Since the 12 months ending March 2004, the number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court has declined almost year on year - down to 1.46 million defendants in the latest period - driven chiefly by decreases in summary motoring offences brought before magistrates. The biggest decreases were for vehicle insurance offences, with large decreases also for driving licence related offences, speed limit offences, and driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs. Proceedings decreased by 7% in the latest year, with decreases seen in every indictable and summary offence group. Over half the decrease occurred in the indictable offence category - predominantly for violence against the person, theft and handling stolen goods, and 'other indictable' offences. Around 6% of all defendants proceeded against are passed on to the Crown Court for trial, 96% of which are accused of indictable offences. The number of defendants appearing in the Crown Court for trial increased during the late '00s as a result of a greater proportion of cases being committed and sent for trial. However, since the 12 
months ending March 2011, this trend has reversed, with the volume of defendants tried at the Crown Court on the decline - with 83,500 defendants tried at the Crown Court in the latest year, compared with 106,300 in the 12 months ending March 2011. 

Police remands are the decisions made by a police officer on whether to detain or bail a defendant pending their first appearance in court or send a notice summoning them to appear in court. In the latest year, there were 1.56 million defendants directed by the police to appear at magistrates' courts (including here those who failed to appear). The proportion of defendants remanded in custody by the police increased between the 12 months ending March 2008 and the 12 months ending March 2012, from 6% to 12% - driven mainly by the rise in defendants remanded in custody for indictable offences - but has decreased back to 11% in the latest year. In addition, in the latest year, 30% were granted bail by the police the remaining 59% directed to appear via summonses Court remands are the court's decision on whether a defendant charged with a criminal offence should be held in custody or released on bail during the period up to and including the trial, or while awaiting sentence. In the latest year, it was estimated that bail was granted to 22% of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts, just over 3% were remanded in custody, just under 2% had an unknown remand status, and the remaining 73% had their case concluded at the magistrates' courts without being remanded. Defendants are more likely to be remanded in custody for indictable offences than summary offences - as a result, the proportion of defendants remanded in custody at the Crown Court is higher than at magistrates' courts. In the latest year, the proportion of defendants tried at the Crown Court who were remanded in custody was 34%, with a further 48% remanded on bail. Of those remanded in custody at the Crown Court, 74% were convicted and sentenced to immediate custody. Failure to appear (FTA) warrants are issued by courts when defendants do not attend court on a specified date, having either been summonsed or granted bail at an earlier stage. In the latest year, police forces in England and Wales received a total of 70,400 FTA warrants from the courts, of which 88% were executed. The overall number of FTA warrants outstanding - those that have been issued to a police force but have not been executed or withdrawn - has been steadily decreasing over recent years, from 23,000 at the end of March 2009 to 16,200 at the end of March 2013. This decrease coincides with declining numbers of defendants who failed to appear to bail or summons at magistrates' courts over recent years. 

 
Offenders found guilty Trends in the number of offenders convicted - that is, defendants who plead or are found guilty - and sentenced at all courts are driven by two factors, namely the number of individuals dealt with through the courts (the trend in prosecutions) and the proportion of those individuals who are found guilty. Conviction ratios are calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings, and give a measure of the relative number of defendants who are found guilty within a given year when compared with the number who are prosecuted that year. Since the 12 months ending March 2004, convictions have declined almost year on year, in line with declining numbers of individuals proceeded against. However, the decline in convictions has not been as steep as for proceedings, as a greater proportion of proceedings have resulted in convictions (reflected in the increasing conviction ratio over the period - from 74% in the 12 months ending March 2003 to 83% in the latest year). The complex nature of the CJS means there are a number of possible factors contributing to this change - for example, changes in guilty plea rates, the mix of cases handled in and out of court, impacts of operational changes, and so on - and it is difficult to separately identify the impacts of different factors. 

 
 
Sentencing Fines are the most common sentence given to offenders at all courts, accounting for 68% of offenders sentenced in the latest year, due in the main to the large volumes of fines issued for summary offences at the magistrates' court. Offenders sentenced for summary offences accounted for 76% of all sentences issued in the latest year, of which 99% were dealt with entirely in the magistrates' courts, and 84% issued fines. A different distribution of sentences is observed for indictable offences. In the latest year, 27% of offenders sentenced for indictable offences were sentenced to immediate custody (that is, to prison or other form of secure detention), 26% to community sentences, 18% to a fine, and 10% to a Suspended Sentence Order (SSO). Around a quarter of offenders sentenced for indictable offences were sentenced at the Crown Court - of these, 58% received an immediate custodial sentence, reflecting the fact that the most serious offences are likely to be tried on indictment in the Crown Court by a judge and jury. Overall, the way in which offenders found guilty have been sentenced has changed over the last decade. The use of SSOs rose steadily between the 12 months ending March 2005 and March 2011 - as a result of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, which made SSOs more readily available - but has decreased since, in line with the decreasing volume of offenders being sentenced in court. The number of offenders given community sentences remained stable until the 12 months ending March 2011, after which large decrease in volumes have been observed - a decrease of 26% over the last two years. Between the 12 months ending March 2007 and March 2012, the immediate custody rate (the proportion of all persons sentenced receiving immediate custody) increased -  up from 6.7% to 8.1% - resulting in numbers sent to prison or other forms of secure detention increasing despite the overall fall in offenders sentenced. In the latest year however, the immediate custody rate dropped back down to 7.9%. The average length of custodial sentences has increased over the last decade - up to 14.7 months in the latest year, compared with 12.7 months in the 12 months ending March 2003. The increase has been driven mainly by changes in the case mix of people getting custodial sentences, with summary offences increasingly dealt with through other sentence types, and longer sentences being given for indictable offences. Further, legislative changes have made sentence lengths longer for certain offences - for example, a third domestic burglary. The introduction of the Criminal Justice and Immigration Act (CJIA) in 2008 restricted the use of Indeterminate sentences for Public Protection (IPPs). This has coincided with an increase in long determinate sentences (defined as for 10 years or more), which may also have contributed to the increase in the average length of custodial sentences since 2008. Further, legislative changes have made sentence lengths longer for certain offences - for example, the powers to sentence offenders convicted of a third domestic burglary offence to a mandatory minimum sentence of three years custody, as introduced by the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997 for offences committed after 30th November 1999, have been used increasingly in the last decade. The Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act, which was passed on 3rd December 2012, abolished IPPs and replaced them with new Extended Determinate Sentences (EDS). Further, it legislated that adult offenders will receive mandatory life sentences for a second serious sexual or violent offence. However, both of these measures could potentially impact upon ACSL in future.  
Gender comparisons Males account for seven out of every ten individuals proceeded against in court, but nine out of every ten offenders sentenced to immediate custody. The difference in sentence outcomes reflects the different types of offences being committed by males and females, with males more frequently proceeded against for the more serious indictable offences. The gender split for defendant dealt with at court has been changing over the last decade, with the number of prosecutions of males decreasing while prosecutions of females have remained broadly stable. In the latest year, the number of prosecutions of males decreased by 9%, compared to a 3% decrease for females. The differences in the trends by gender relate to summary non-motoring offences, and in particular large increases in prosecutions for TV licence evasion offences for females. The change in the gender profile of defendants has influenced the trends in sentencing, where the number of male offenders sentenced is falling at a faster rate than the number of female offenders sentenced. 

Offending histories 
 
While the number of new entrants to the criminal justice system has fallen recently, the number and proportion of convicted offenders who have long criminal records has been increasing over the last 10 years. During the latest year, just over 100 thousand offenders convicted of an indictable offence had 15 or more previous convictions or cautions at the time. This equates to over a third of all convicted offenders in the year and is up from a fifth in the 12 months ending March 2003 (70 thousand offenders). 

Analysis has also shown that the majority of these prolific offenders already have in excess of 15 previous offences on their record while the numbers progressing from their 15th to their 16th offence is relatively unchanged each year. In addition, around half of those with 15 or more previous sanctions were convicted of offences related to theft and handling stolen goods - by comparison, only 22% of those with no previous convictions or cautions were convicted for the same offence types. In contrast, sexual offences and offences relating to fraud and forgery accounted for 8% and 12% of convictions for those offenders with no previous history respectively, but only 1% and 2% of convictions for those offenders with 15 or more previous. As might be expected, given that sentencing decisions will typically take into account previous offending history, the proportion of offenders receiving immediate custody for an indictable offence is higher for those groups of offenders with longer criminal histories. In the latest year, 38% of adults with 15 or more previous received a custodial sentence compared to 12% for adults with no previous history of offending. The equivalent figures for juveniles were 40% and 2% respectively. The most common disposal given in the latest year for offenders committing an indictable offence with no previous criminal history was a caution, with this accounting for 78% of juveniles in this group and 60% of adults. 


Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts
Cannabis warnings
Penalty Notices for Disorder
(*)
Cautions
193,522
101,104
    
2,189,885
69,213
1,455,786
Number tried at the Crown Court
Number found guilty by magistrates
1,134,260
84,334
1,542,739 (*)
Number found guilty at Crown Court
(*)
153,322
Number committed for sentence at Crown Court
67,493
18,960
Number sentenced by the Crown Court
86,453
1,113,388
Guilty Plea
76,868
Not Guilty Plea
9,585
Suspended
Community
sentence
sentence
Community 
sentence
12,363
18,059
890
Fined
Custody
Other
Fined
Custody
Suspended
Other
disposal
sentence
disposal
1,443
41,964
3,039
172
6,775
1,479
269
Fined
Custody
Other 
Community
Suspended 
810,900
45,611
107,929
sentence
23,331
125,617
Total sentenced to custody
94,350
181,739
84,898
144,424

(1) Covers all indictable offences, including triable either way, plus a few closely associated summary offences. (2) Defendants tried at the Crown Court in a given year may have been committed for trial by a magistrate in a previous year. (3) Includes community sentences and suspended sentence orders. (4) Receptions for offenders given a custodial sentence (figures include fine defaulters). (5) Offenders starting Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order supervision by the Probation Service.

*    Total number of all offences in comparison with the total number of defendants on a principal offence basis.

March
2009
March
2010
March
2011
March
2012
March
2013
12 months ending
Percentage 
change 12 
months ending 
March 2012 to 
March 2013
Out of court disposals
601,128
519,330
459,037
424,620
363,839
-14.3%
Cannabis warnings
104,027
84,529
79,417
77,933
69,213
-11.2%
Penalty Notices for Disorder (1)
174,959
161,575
138,266
122,805
101,104
-17.7%
Cautions 
322,142
273,226
241,354
223,882
193,522
-13.6%
Defendants proceeded against
1,639,639
1,690,980
1,644,191
1,557,046
1,455,786
-6.5%
Indictable offences (2)
402,146
418,910
438,540
416,911
360,843
-13.4%
Summary offences
1,237,493
1,272,070
1,205,651
1,140,135
1,094,943
-4.0%
Offenders convicted
1,366,088
1,400,296
1,362,308
1,296,150
1,201,753
-7.3%
Indictable offences
320,990
331,170
353,317
339,795
295,814
-12.9%
Summary offences
1,045,098
1,069,126
1,008,991
956,355
905,939
-5.3%
Prison receptions(3)
100,100
93,273
90,783
89,834
84,898
-5.5%
Probation starts(4)
168,451
167,797
166,219
158,901
144,424
-9.1%

(1) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. (2) Indictable offences include those triable-either-way. (3) Receptions for offenders given a custodial sentence (includes fine defaulters). (4) Offenders starting Community Order or Suspended Sentence Order supervision by the Probation Service. 

March
2009
March
2010
March
2011
March
2012
March
2013
12 months ending
Percentage 
change 12 months 
ending March 
2012 to March 
2013
Total offenders sentenced(1)
1,365,078
1,398,217
1,360,683
1,294,816
1,199,841
-7.3%
Total persons sentenced(2)
1,356,831
1,389,694
1,352,847
1,288,088
1,193,459
-7.3%
Immediate custody (persons)
100,174
99,745
102,837
105,452
94,350
-10.5%
Suspended sentence (persons)
41,472
45,913
48,818
47,643
42,869
-10.0%
Community sentence (persons)
193,566
190,817
188,235
172,145
138,870
-19.3%
Fines (all offenders)
897,656
938,500
888,596
845,789
812,515
-3.9%
Other disposals (all offenders)
132,210
123,242
132,197
123,787
111,237
-10.1%
Average custodial sentence length (months)(3)
13.5
13.7
13.9
14.3
14.7
2.8%
change
Percentage point
Percentage of those sentenced(4)
Immediate custody (persons)
7.4
7.2
7.6
8.2
7.9
-0.3
Suspended sentence (persons)
3.1
3.3
3.6
3.7
3.6
-0.1
Community sentence (persons)
14.3
13.7
13.9
13.4
11.6
-1.7
Fines (all offenders)
65.8
67.1
65.3
65.3
67.7
2.4
Other disposals (all offenders)
9.7
8.8
9.7
9.6
9.3
-0.3

(1) The time lag between conviction and sentencing for cases committed for sentence at Crown Court can result in small differences between total offenders convicted and sentenced within reporting years.

(2) For sentences of immediate custody, suspended sentence and community sentence, 'persons' is the same as 'offenders', as 'others' (such as companies or public bodies) cannot receive these sentences.

(3) Average custodial sentence length excludes life and indeterminate sentences. (4) May not sum to 100 per cent as all rates are not calculated on the same basis.


England and Wales
March
2009
March
2010
March
2011
March
2012
March
2013
12 months ending
Percentage 
change 12 
months ending 
March 2012 to 
March 2013
Recorded crime(1)
4,550,335
4,194,639
4,011,970
3,842,230
3,502,320
-8.8%
Out of court disposals
557,581
476,794
419,702
391,171
334,847
-14.4%
Cannabis warnings
104,027
84,529
79,417
77,933
69,213
-11.2%
Penalty Notices for Disorder (2)
115,625
107,467
90,199
77,915
61,703
-20.8%
Cautions 
337,929
284,798
250,086
235,323
203,931
-13.3%
Proceedings
960,685
1,001,162
1,016,626
956,684
874,490
-8.6%
Convictions
754,516
750,449
764,889
733,420
672,730
-8.3%
Offences taken into consideration
101,647
79,120
74,234
65,960
56,529
-14.3%
Proven offences(3)
1,413,744
1,306,363
1,258,825
1,190,551
1,064,106
-10.6%

(1) Excluding fraud offences. For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud.  Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.  
(2) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. (3) Includes out of court disposals, convictions and offences taken into consideration.

## 

Offence Group
12 months 
ending
Recorded 
crime(1)
Cannabis 
warnings
Penalty Notices 
for Disorder(2)
Cautions
Proceedings
Convictions
Violence against the person
March 2012
626,720
23,405
94,054
303,320
207,758
March 2013
601,134
16,085
83,928
272,136
184,492
Sexual offences
March 2012
52,760
-
1,727
32,314
19,778
March 2013
53,540
-
1,745
28,666
19,161
Burglary
March 2012
501,048
-
3,693
46,200
32,601
March 2013
459,796
-
2,629
39,589
28,532
Robbery
March 2012
74,688
-
248
19,768
12,850
March 2013
65,156
-
176
16,043
10,989
Theft and handling stolen goods
March 2012
1,522,149
33,622
50,109
221,242
188,543
March 2013
1,398,492
26,819
39,700
209,090
179,317
Fraud and forgery(1)
March 2012
-
-
6,235
60,520
45,687
March 2013
-
-
5,342
56,074
40,385
Criminal damage
March 2012
626,008
4,616
27,218
73,504
58,445
March 2013
529,719
3,313
23,287
67,820
53,228
Drug offences
March 2012
229,099
77,933
16,272
45,667
107,844
94,889
March 2013
208,017
69,213
15,486
41,542
99,227
87,461
Other notifiable offences
March 2012
209,758
-
6,372
91,972
72,869
March 2013
186,466
-
5,582
85,845
69,165
All Notifiable Offences
March 2012
3,842,230
77,933
77,915
235,323
956,684
733,420
March 2013
3,502,320
69,213
61,703
203,931
874,490
672,730

(1) Excluding fraud offences. For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud.  Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons. (2) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over.

Percentage 
change 12 months 
ending Mar-12 to 
Mar-13
3,842 3,502
-8.8%
9,500
8,643
-9.0%
Mar-12 Mar-13
105
     
94
          
-10.5%
48
       
43
          
-10.0%
172
     
139
        
-19.3%
846
     
813
        
-3.9%
124
     
111
        
-10.1%
1,295
   
1,200
    
-7.3%
1,194
  
1,113
     
-6.8%
100
     
86
          
-13.9%
224
      
194
         
-13.6%
120
     
101
        
-15.3%
123
      
101
         
-17.7%
50
       
42
          
-15.2%
78
        
69
           
-11.2%
1,557
   
1,456
      
-6.5%
417
     
361
        
-13.4%
1,217
   
1,134
      
-6.8%
264
     
231
        
-12.5%
21
        
19
           
-10.2%
99
        
84
           
-14.8%
79
        
67
           
-14.9%
76
       
65
          
-14.7%
1,296
  
1,202
      
-7.3%
340
     
296
        
-12.9%
1,520
   
1,395
      
-8.2%
459
     
397
        
-13.6%
Mar-03 Mar-04 Mar-05 Mar-06 Mar-07 Mar-08
Mar-09 Mar-10 Mar-11
Total sentenced (offenders)
1,423
     
1,539
      
1,509
     
1,491
     
1,403
     
1,408
     
1,365
      
1,398
      
1,361
      
   
Magistrates' court
1,346
     
1,463
     
1,434
     
1,413
     
1,326
     
1,326
     
1,274
     
1,302
     
1,257
     
   
Crown Court
77
          
76
          
74
          
78
          
77
          
83
          
91
          
96
          
104
        
   
2012 as the British Crime Survey) or those recorded to the police within the same year. The Crime Survey for England and Wales estimates relate to crimes experienced in the 12 months prior to interview. Further, offenders 
found guilty in a given year may have been proceeded against in an earlier year.

(1) The offenders dealt with outside of court and defendants proceeded against at magistrates' court in a given year may not relate to the same cases measured by the Crime Survey for En
(4) Excluding fraud offences.  For the year ending March 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud and a separate series which excludes fraud.  Due to the staggered move of recording fraud offences by forces to Action Fraud, crime figures are shown excluding fraud offences to allow for consistent comparisons.  
(2) Not statistically significant, see Section 8 of the User Guide to Crime Statistics for England and Wales:

http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Crime+in+England+and+Wales
Notifiable offences
-   offences recorded by the police(3)(4)
5,662 5,711 5,374 5,338 5,240 4,807
4,550 4,195 4,012
(3) Includes British Transport Police.

(5) Cautions, written warnings and all fixed penalties for summary motoring offences are not covered in this volume but are published in the Home Office Statistical Bulletin, ' Motoring offences and breath tests'.

(6) Indictable offences include those triable-either-way.
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011
20
Mar 2003 Mar 2004 Mar 2005 Mar 2006 Mar 2007 Mar 2008 Mar 2009 Mar 2010 Mar 2011 Ma
England and Wales
Crime measured by Crime Survey for England and Wales(1)
12,260 11,642 10,679 10,715 11,060 10,002
10,446
9,503
9,623
Number of offenders cautioned(5)
228
         
250
         
258
         
314
         
359
         
356
         
322
         
273
         
241
         
   
of which for indictable offences (6)
145
        
154
        
158
        
191
        
206
        
200
        
178
        
150
        
132
        
   
Number of offenders issued Penalty Notices for Disorder
.. ..
91
           
158
         
209
         
201
         
175
         
162
         
138
         
   
of which for indictable offences (6)
.. ..
6
            
26
          
42
          
44
          
49
          
59
          
53
          
   
Number of offences detected by means of cannabis warnings (all indictable)(3)
.. ..
0
             
63
           
80
           
102
         
104
         
85
           
79
           
   
Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts
1,925
      
2,057
      
1,955
      
1,899
      
1,746
      
1,714
      
1,640
      
1,691
      
1,644
      
   
of which for indictable offences (6)
517
        
502
        
433
        
427
        
401
        
401
        
402
        
419
        
439
        
   
Defendants found guilty at magistrates' courts
1,364
      
1,481
      
1,451
      
1,433
      
1,344
      
1,344
      
1,294
      
1,321
      
1,277
      
   
of which for indictable offences (6)
281
        
276
        
252
        
256
        
246
        
251
        
252
        
256
        
273
        
   
Defendants sentenced at the Crown Court after summary conviction
17
           
16
           
15
           
19
           
17
           
17
           
18
           
17
           
19
           
   
Defendants tried at the Crown Court
79
           
80
           
77
           
78
           
78
           
84
           
91
           
99
           
108
         
   
Defendants found guilty at the Crown Court
60
           
60
           
59
           
59
           
59
           
66
           
72
           
79
           
85
           
   
of which for indictable offences (6)
58
          
57
          
56
          
57
          
56
          
62
          
69
          
75
          
80
          
   
Total offenders found guilty at both courts
1,425
     
1,541
     
1,510
     
1,493
     
1,404
      
1,410
     
1,366
     
1,400
      
1,362
    
    
of which for indictable offences (6)
339
        
334
        
308
        
313
        
302
        
314
        
321
        
331
        
353
        
   
Total offenders found guilty or cautioned(5)
1,652
      
1,791
      
1,768
      
1,807
      
1,763
      
1,766
      
1,688
      
1,674
      
1,604
      
   
of which for indictable offences (6)
484
        
487
        
466
        
504
        
508
        
513
        
499
        
481
        
485
        
   
Sentence
 Custody 
110
        
109
        
103
        
102
        
94
          
97
          
100
        
100
        
103
        
   
 Suspended Sentence
3
            
3
            
3
            
16
          
37
          
41
          
 Community Sentence
192
        
194
        
201
        
204
        
190
        
195
        
194
        
191
        
188
        
   
 Fine
971
        
1,078
     
1,054
     
1,026
     
943
        
933
        
898
        
939
        
889
        
   
 Other Sentences
148
        
156
        
148
        
144
        
138
        
143
        
132
        
123
        
132
        
   
Average 
Custodial 
Sentence 
Length 
(months)(7)
Custody 
Rate (%)(5)
775 496
12,359
49.3 18.6
514 487
10,977
52.5 19.7
129
1,232
14,616
35.3 18.9
986 932
12,945
37.6 20.3
530 139
3,456
57.8 52.8
477 117
3,269
59.8 55.7
348 351
4,271
23.0 12.7
142 348
3,848
24.8 12.7
415 476
1,146
16.6 19.3
350 413 884
16.0 23.2
342
2,280 9,809
16.2 30.3
210
2,300 8,770
15.6 29.0
858
38
1,157
36.7
9.7
844
17
1,083
37.7
9.7
498
6,990
10,906
24.5 10.4
054
5,425 9,489
25.0 10.2
219
17,857 87,161
25.8 16.8
742
16,038 78,234
26.7 17.2
305
10,391 14,910
3.0 2.5
595
8,216
13,285
2.9 2.6
119
2,313 3,381
0.7 3.1
532
1,755 2,831
0.6 3.1
424
12,704 18,291
1.9 2.6
127
9,971
16,116
1.8 2.7
552 273
5,496
59.2 34.9
531 114
4,693
61.1 36.9
772
5,582
23,945
19.6
4.2
634
5,885
22,276
21.0
4.2
ded 
ce 
Otherwise 
dealt with
Custody  
Offenders(3)
Sentenced(4)
Discharged 
Fine 
Community 
Sentence 
Suspen
Senten
Ratio (%)(2)
Proven 
Conviction 
for Disorder(1)
Cautions
Proceedings Convictions
Penalty Notices 
12 
months 
ending
Cannabis 
warnings
y
Mar-12
- -
5,412
23,172 18,686
80.6
24,098 18,573
2,039
2,551 6,013
3,
Mar-13
- -
4,556
20,089 15,737
78.3
20,293 15,531
1,532
1,975 4,686
3,
Criminal damage
Mar-12
- -
4,597
8,943
6,959
77.8
11,556
6,886
1,311
782
2,756
Mar-13
- -
3,578
7,443
5,620
75.5
9,198 5,523
1,124
707
2,045
Drug offences
Mar-12
77,933
16,272
42,001
66,800
60,977
91.3
197,183
60,443
8,593
22,929 12,490
4,
Mar-13
69,213
15,486
38,191
62,476 56,933
91.1
179,823
56,341
9,528
20,600 10,933
4,
Indictable motoring offences
Mar-12
- - -
3,524
3,123
88.6
3,123 3,155
36
240 826
Mar-13
- - -
3,149
2,843
90.3
2,843 2,869
34
198 693
Other indictable offences
Mar-12
- -
5,756
62,430 45,412
72.7
51,168 45,280
3,381
11,995
7,510
4,
Mar-13
- -
4,970
52,609 38,698
73.6
43,668 38,727
2,963
10,925
5,871
4,
Indictable offences(7)
Mar-12
77,933
49,894
119,578 416,911 339,795
81.5
587,200 338,065
42,385
58,378 98,065
34,
Mar-13
69,213
42,305
101,282 360,843 295,814
82.0
508,614 293,640
39,322
52,881 76,423
30,
y
Mar-12
- -
242
14,038
9,272
66.0
9,514 9,282
11
2,950
Mar-13
- -
169
11,411
7,684
67.3
7,853 7,687
18
6
2,325
Theft and handling stolen goods
Mar-12
-
33,622
41,684
136,605 122,308
89.5
197,614 121,989
24,663
17,113 41,914
8,
Mar-13
-
26,819
33,326
119,840 106,884
89.2
167,029 106,186
22,224
15,848 32,319
7,
Fraud and forger
England and Wales
Offence Group
Violence against the person
Mar-12
- -
15,185
58,011 41,671
71.8
56,856 41,391
1,740
2,299
13,375
8,
Mar-13
- -
12,626
47,518 34,697
73.0
47,323 34,407
1,488
2,258 9,798
6,
Sexual offences
Mar-12
- -
1,485
10,084
5,998
59.5
7,483 5,978
107 108
1,638
Mar-13
- -
1,497
9,055
5,498
60.7
6,995 5,471
88
107
1,413
Burglary
Mar-12
- -
3,216
33,304 25,389
76.2
28,605 25,088
504 361
8,593
2,
Mar-13
- -
2,369
27,253 21,220
77.9
23,589 20,898
323 257
6,340
2,
Robber
Summary non-motoring
Mar-12
-
72,911
104,304 605,391 493,459
81.5
670,674 493,756
44,643
354,659
59,848
9,
Mar-13
-
58,799
92,240
565,952
453,814
80.2
604,853 453,994
40,314
333,326
50,258
8,
Summary motoring offences
Mar-12
- - -
534,744 462,896
86.6
462,896 462,995
6,198
432,752
14,232
4,
Mar-13
- - -
528,991 452,125
85.5
452,125 452,207
5,592
426,308
12,189
3,
Summary Offences
Mar-12
-
72,911
104,304
1,140,135
956,355
83.9
1,133,570
956,751
50,841
787,411
74,080
13,
Mar-13
-
58,799
92,240
1,094,943
905,939
82.7
1,056,978
906,201
45,906
759,634
62,447
12,
All Offences
Mar-12
77,933
122,805 223,882
1,557,046
1,296,150
83.2
1,720,770 1,294,816
93,226
845,789 172,145
47,643 30,561
105,452
8.2
14.3
Mar-13
69,213
101,104 193,522
1,455,786
1,201,753
82.6
1,565,592 1,199,841
85,228
812,515 138,870
42,869 26,009 94,350
7.9
14.7

(1) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over.

(2) Conviction ratio is calculated as the number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings.

(3) Defendants who have been proven to have committed an offence (includes convictions, cautions, cannabis warnings and Penalty Notices for Disorder).

(4) Figures are based on defendants sentenced each year. Some of those sentenced may have been found guilty in a previous year so the number of offenders sentenced may exceed the number of guilty defendants.

(5) Custody rate is calculated as the proportion of the total number of persons sentenced who are sentenced to immediate custody.

(6) Average custodial sentence length excludes life and indeterminate sentences.

(7) Indictable offences include those triable-either-way.

Explanatory notes 
 
The statistics in this bulletin relate to cases in the Crown and magistrates' courts in England and Wales during 12 months ending March 2013. This bulletin subsumes a number of previous bulletins including Criminal Statistics: England & Wales, Quarterly Sentencing Statistics, and Young people aged 10-17 receiving their first reprimand, warning or conviction. 

Symbols and conventions  
 
The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin: 
- = Nil * = Not applicable .. = Not available (R) = Revised data (P) = Provisional data  
 
Guidance on tables and supplementary volumes This bulletin is supported by a range of Excel spreadsheet workbooks, presenting statistics for the latest rolling twelve month reference period, alongside back series for previous comparable rolling twelve month periods where applicable. These workbooks can be accessed at: 
www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-march-2013 
 
Contacts 
 
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office: Tel: 020 3334 3536  
Email: newsdesk@justice.gsi.gov.uk Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to the Justice Statistics  
Analytical Services division of the Ministry of Justice: 
Mike Elkins, Chief Statistician Ministry of Justice, 7th Floor, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ  
Email: statistics.enquiries@justice.gsi.gov.uk 
 
General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be e-mailed to: statistics.enquiries@justice.gsi.gov.uk General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from: 
www.statistics.gov.uk