## Criminal Court Statistics Quarterly, England And Wales, April To June 2017

Including statistics on the use of language interpreter and translation services in courts and tribunals 

## Main Points

Outstanding cases in 
 
Disposals were higher than receipts in Q2 2017, which resulted in a small decrease in outstanding cases from 288,700 in Q1 2017 to 283,800 in Q2 2017. 
magistrates courts 
have fallen slightly  
Outstanding cases in 
the Crown Court have 

 
Disposals remained higher than receipts in the quarter, continuing to drive the decrease in outstanding cases to 39,600, the lowest number since Q1 2013. 

fallen  
Despite decreasing, 
violence against the 
person still had the 
highest number of 

 
In Q2 2017, violence against the person offences had the highest volume of receipts, disposals and outstanding cases, although outstanding cases had decreased from 7,800 in Q1 2017 to 7,500 in Q2 2017. 

outstanding cases  
The average number of 
days from first listing to 
completion in the 
Crown Court has 

 
For cases completing in the Crown Court, the average number of days from first listing to completion in the Crown Court decreased from 178 days in Q1 2017 to 174 days in Q2 2017. 

decreased   
Total financial 

 
Total financial impositions have increased in the latest quarter, mostly driven by the £22.2m increase in fines. 

impositions have 
increased  
Interpreters: The 
success rate of 

 
The success rate for completed language interpreter and translation service requests was 98% in Q2 2017, a one percentage point increase compared to Q1 2017. 

completed service 
requests increased 

 
The technical guide to Criminal court statistics can be found here: 
www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-guide-to-criminal-court-statistics For full and detailed commentary please refer to the annual publication: 
www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-january-to-march-2017  

## We Are Changing How Our Quarterly Bulletins Look, And Would Welcome Any Feedback To Commentary.Champions@Justice.Gsi.Gov.Uk

For other feedback related to the content of this publication, please let us know at CJS_Statistics@justice.gsi.gov.uk 

## 1. Criminal Cases In The Magistrates' Courts Outstanding Cases In Magistrates Courts Have Fallen Slightly

 
Disposals were higher than receipts in Q2 2017, which resulted in a small decrease in outstanding cases from 288,700 in Q1 2017 to 283,800 in Q2 2017. 

## Magistrates' Court Caseload (Figure 1)

Since Q1 2017 receipts have fallen by 6% to 375,700 in Q2 2017. Disposals have also decreased in the latest quarter, falling by 5% to 380,700 in Q2 2017. Overall since Q2 2016 receipts and disposals have both decreased by 3% and 5% respectively. Despite a fall in the number of disposals, they remained higher than receipts in Q2 2017, driving the 2% decline in the number of outstanding cases between Q1 2017 and Q2 2017 to 283,800. Overall since Q2 2016, the number of outstanding cases have decreased by 3%. 

## 2. Criminal Cases In The Crown Court Outstanding Cases In Crown Court Have Fallen

 
Disposals remained higher than receipts in the quarter, continuing to drive the decrease in outstanding cases to 39,600, the lowest number since Q1 2013. 

 

## Receipts (Figure 2)

Receipts have fallen by 4% since Q1 2017 and overall by 1% since Q2 2016. Receipts for triable-either-way cases have seen a reduction of 4% since Q1 2017, while receipts for indictable only cases have decreased by 1% since the previous quarter. 

## Disposals (Figure 2)

As with receipts, disposals have also fallen in the latest quarter by 5% to 29,900, and by 8% since Q2 2016. In the latest quarter, triable-either-way disposals and indictable only disposals fell by 7% and 2% respectively. 

## Outstanding (Figure 2)

Outstanding cases in the Crown Court have been gradually decreasing since Q4 2014, mainly due to disposals remaining higher than receipts over the past 2 years. In the latest quarter outstanding cases declined by 3% to 39,600 cases, the lowest number since Q1 2013. The driver of this declining trend has been triable-either-way cases, which have fallen by 4% in the latest quarter and 15% since Q2 2016. Indictable only cases followed a similar pattern but to a lesser magnitude, decreasing by 2% in the latest quarter and by 8% between Q2 2016 and Q2 2017.  
 

## 3. Receipts, Disposals And Outstanding Cases In The Crown Court By Offence Group Violence Against The Person Still Had The Highest Number Of Outstanding Cases

 
In Q2 2017, violence against the person offences had the highest volume of receipts, disposals and outstanding cases, although outstanding cases had decreased from 7,800 in Q1 2017 to 7,500 cases in Q2 2017.  

## Receipts, Disposals And Outstanding Cases By Offence Group (Figure 3)

Despite a 10% decrease from Q1 2017, violence against the person offences had the highest number of receipts in Q2 2017, followed by drug offences. Violence against the person also had the highest number of disposals in the quarter and the highest number of outstanding cases. The offence group with the next largest number of outstanding cases was sexual offences even though it had the fifth largest number of receipts. The large number of outstanding cases for sexual offences may be because they have longer average number of days from first listing to completion compared to other offences. Although drug offences had the second highest number of receipts they had a low number of outstanding cases due to shorter completion times than, for example, sexual offences. 

## 4. Timeliness The Average Number Of Days From First Listing To Completion In The Crown Court Has Decreased

 
For cases completing in the Crown Court the average number of days from first listing to completion in the Crown Court decreased from 178 days in Q1 2017 to 174 days in Q2 2017. 
Average hearing times for not guilty plea trials was 15.8 hours in Q2 2017 
 
Average hearing times for not guilty plea trials in the Crown Court increased from 14.2 hours in Q1 2017 to 15.8 hours in Q2 2017, the highest level in the quarterly time series. Hearing times for guilty plea trials remained stable at 1.7 hours in the latest quarter (table C7). 
 

## Crown Court Criminal Cases - First Listing In The Magistrates' Courts To Completion In The Crown Court (Figure 4)

The decrease in time from sending to the Crown Court to main hearing has driven the overall decrease in first listing to completion in the Crown Court, decreasing by 4 days from 127 days in Q1 2017 to 123 days in Q2 2017. The average time from first listing at the magistrates' court to completion at the magistrates' court has remained at 6 days in Q2 2017, whilst the time from main hearing to completion also remained fairly similar at 44 days in Q2 2017. 

## Annex A: Enforcement Of Financial Impositions

Total financial impositions have increased in the latest quarter 
 
Total financial impositions have increased in Q2 2017, mostly driven by an increase in fines. 
 
Note: The Criminal Court Charge (CCC) ceased to exist on 24 December 2015 but impositions still appear due to when the data are entered onto the system. 

## Financial Impositions And Amounts Paid By Imposition Type (Figure 5, Table A2)

Between Q1 2017 and Q2 2017 total financial impositions increased by 13%, standing at £184 million in Q2 2017. This increase was mostly driven by an increase in fine impositions of £22.2m, with one fine accounting for £20m. In Q2 2017, 9% (£17.2 million) of all criminal court financial impositions were paid within the imposition month, a 3 percentage point decline in the collection rate of impositions collected within the imposition month in Q1 2017 (12%). 

## Outstanding Financial Impositions (Table A4)

In Q2 2017, the total value of financial impositions outstanding in England and Wales was £895 million. The amount of outstanding financial impositions has been increasing since Q1 2014, and showed an increase of 27% between Q2 2016 and Q2 2017. 

## Annex B: The Use Of Language Interpreter And Translation Services In Courts And Tribunals1 The Total Number Of Completed Service Requests Decreased In Q2 2017

 
A total of 37,700 completed service requests for language interpreter and translation services were made in Q2 2017, a 5% decrease compared to Q1 2017. 

## The Success Rate Of Completed Service Requests Slightly Increased In The Latest Quarter

 
The success rate for completed service requests was 98% in Q2 2017, a one percentage point increase compared to Q1 2017. 

## Completed Service Requests (Table L1)

In Q2 2017, criminal courts made the greatest use of face-to-face language interpreter and translation services; 44% of completed service requests were for criminal cases (including Crown Court and magistrates courts completed cases), 35% were for tribunal cases, and 16% were for civil and family court cases. 

## Success Rate (Figure 6)

The success rate has increased from 97% in Q1 2017 to 98% in Q2 2017. Success rates varied across different service types. In Q2 2017, standard language requests had a success rate of 98%, whilst for rare languages it was 88% and for special services it was 99%. 

 

## The Number Of Complaints Decreased In Q2 2017

 
The number of complaints for completed service requests decreased to 450 in Q2 2017 
from 730 in Q1 2017. The complaint rate also decreased by one percentage point to 1%. 

## The Total Number Of 'Off Contract' Service Requests Decreased In Q2 2017

 
The number of 'off contract' service requests decreased to 300 requests in Q2 2017 from 370 in Q1 2017. 

## Number Of Complaints And Complaint Rate (Figure 7)

The most common cause of complaint was 'interpreter was late' which accounted for 30% (140) of all complaints made in Q2 2017, a 7 percentage point increase from Q1 2017 
(23%). The proportion of 'interpreter did not attend' complaints also increased, by 8 percentage points to 25%, whilst complaints for 'no interpreter available' decreased by 6 percentage points to 11%. Just as in Q1 2017, the complaint rate was highest in tribunals at 2%. The complaint rate at criminal courts was less than 1% in Q2 2017, slightly lower than Q1 2017. At civil & family courts the complaint rate was 1% in Q2 2017, also slightly lower than Q1 2017. 

## Off Contract Requests (Table L3)

'Off contract' requests at criminal courts decreased from 160 in Q1 2017 to 110 in Q2 2017, making criminal courts the biggest contributor to the overall decrease in 'off contract' requests in Q2 2017. 'Off contract' requests at tribunals decreased from 200 in Q1 2017 to 170 in Q2 2017. Tribunals accounted for 58% (170) of all completed 'off contract' service requests, criminal courts accounted for 35% (110), while civil & family courts accounted for 7% (20). 

## Annex C: Further Information On Criminal Courts Data

The data presented in this publication are provisional. Final data for each calendar year is published in June each year in our Criminal Courts Statistics annual bulletin, following further data cleaning and the incorporation of additional cases not available in our original extracts of administrative data. 

## Accompanying Files

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release: 

 
Two technical guides providing background information on 'Criminal Court Statistics' and 'Statistics on the use of languages and interpreters in courts and tribunals', including data collection and processing, as well as relevant revisions policies and legislation. 
 
A set of overview tables, covering each section of this bulletin.  
 
A set of pivot tables containing Crown Court data broken down by offence group. 
 
3 CSV files which feature court level breakdowns of published data: 
o 
Criminal Courts listings transparency. 
o 
Criminal Courts timeliness. 
o 
Crown Court receipts, disposals and outstanding cases by offence group. 

## National Statistics Status2

National Statistics status means that official statistics meet the highest standards of trustworthiness, quality and public value. All official statistics should comply with all aspects of the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. They are awarded National Statistics status following an assessment by the Authority's regulatory arm. The Authority considers whether the statistics meet the highest standards of Code compliance, including the value they add to public decisions and debate. It is the Ministry of Justice's responsibility to maintain compliance with the standards expected for National Statistics. If we become concerned about whether these statistics are still meeting the appropriate standards, we will discuss any concerns with the Authority promptly. National Statistics status can be removed at any point when the highest standards are not maintained, and reinstated when standards are restored. 

## Contact

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: 
Head of Criminal Justice System Statistics Ministry of Justice, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ Email: statistics.enquiries@justice.gsi.gov.uk 

## Next Update: 14 December 2017

URL: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-court-statistics-quarterly-April-to-June- 2017  
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