Table 11.22 indicates the methods by which defendants involved in criminal cases were finalised in the Higher Court system during 1998-99. A defendant is regarded as finalised when all the charges laid against them have been concluded in some manner. There were 18,426 defendants finalised in the Higher Criminal Courts during 1998-99. Qld SA WA Tas. NT ACT Aust.
Data exclude defendants finalised in appeal cases.
These totals exclude Qld defendants finalised by a bench warrant being issued. The process involved in adjudicating criminal charges depends on how a defendant pleads to the charges laid against them. Defendants who plead guilty to all charges are not subject to a jury trial and go through a sentence hearing to determine the penalty. In contrast, defendants who plead not guilty to at least one charge are typically subject to a trial by jury which determines whether they are acquitted or found guilty. Information on the pleas entered by defendants at the start of their criminal cases provides an indication of the potential need for trials in the Higher Courts, while information on the final pleas entered by defendants provides an indication of the trials that were actually completed.