Criminal justice statistics quarterly update to June 2013
Source: data.gov.uk (2018-05-25)

Criminal Justice Statistics. The reports presents the main trends on the latest 12 months of activity in the criminal justice system (CJS) for England and Wales. For each process a brief description of the function is included with an explanation of some of the main procedures involved.

/ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Criminal Justice Statistics  
Quarterly Update to June 2013 
 
 
England and Wales 
 
Ministry of Justice  
Statistics bulletin 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Published 21 November 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 ................................................................................................. 11 
 
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 (July 
2012 to June 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 two quarters 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-june-2013 
 
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, Chapter 6 (offences) and Chapter 7 
(offending histories) statistical tables which provide offence group breakdowns have 
been presented on both the old and new classification bases. 
 
 
 
 
Interpretation 
                                                
1 Findings from the Crime Survey for England and Wales and recorded crime data are published 
together in statistical bulletins by the Office for National Statistics. 
2 ‘Presentational changes to National Statistics on police recorded crime in England and Wales’, Office 
for National Statistics Methodology Note, 18 July 2013 
www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/crime-statistics-methodology/presentational-
changes-on-police-recorded-crime-in-england-and-wales.pdf 
2 

 
 
 
This publication presents information for the latest 12 month period (the twelve 
months ending June 2013) alongside the same rolling 12 month periods ending 
June 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 June 2013; 
 
the “previous year” refers to the 12 months ending June 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. 
 
3 

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 June 2006, with 1.80 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. 
 
Figure 1: Individuals3 dealt with formally by the CJS, June 2003 to June 2013 
0
250
500
750
1,000
1,250
1,500
1,750
2,000
2,250
2,500
2,750
3,000
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
12 months ending June
Total individuals dealt with (thousands)
Issued out of court disposal
Proceeded against at magistrates' courts
 
 
The number of individuals dealt with formally by the CJS for the first time has also 
fallen since the 12 months ending June 2007 – with 167,500 ‘first time entrants’ to 
the CJS in the latest year, a decline of 47% since 2007. The reduction has been 
much sharper for juveniles (76% 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. 
 
 
 
                                                
3 Includes people and companies. Note also that a single individual can be counted more than once in a 
given year if they are dealt with by the Criminal Justice System on more than one separate occasion. 
4 

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 20054, the only out of court disposal available 
to police was a caution. Since the 12 months ending June 2003, the use of out of 
court disposals increased rapidly and peaked in the 12 months ending June 2007, 
before decreasing year on year – with 352,500 individuals issued an out of court 
disposal in the latest year. The increase to the 12 months ending June 2007 
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. 
 
Figure 2: Out of court disposals issued, by disposal, June 2003 to June 2013 
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
12 months ending June
Persons issued an out of court disposal (thousands)
Cannabis warnings
Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs)
Cautions for summary non-motoring offences
Cautions for indictable offences
 
                                                
4 The number of cannabis warnings issued in the 12 months ending June 2005 is not available. 
5 

The use of out of court disposals decreased by 13% 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 (96,400 issued compared with 117,500 in the previous year) and 
cautions for indictable offences (98,100 issued compared with 113,600 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 June 2004, the number of defendants proceeded 
against at magistrates’ court has declined almost year on year – down to 1.45 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, 
driving after consuming alcohol or taking drugs, vehicle test offences and speed limit 
offences. 
 
Proceedings decreased by 5% in the latest year, with decreases seen in indictable 
and summary non-motoring offence groups and a small increase (1%) in summary 
motoring offences. Over half the decrease occurred in the indictable offence category 
– predominantly for violence against the person, burglary, theft and handling stolen 
goods and ‘other indictable’ offences. 
 
Figure 3:  Defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts, by offence 
group, June 2003 to June 2013 
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
1,000
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
12 months ending June
Defendants proceeded against (thousands)
Summary motoring
Summary non-motoring
Indictable
 
 
Around 6% of all defendants proceeded against are passed on to the Crown Court 
for trial. 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 June 2011, this trend has 
reversed, with the volume of defendants tried at the Crown Court on the decline – 
with 81,800 defendants tried at the Crown Court in the latest year, compared with 
105,100 in the 12 months ending June 2011. 
 
6 

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 1.54 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 June 2008 and the 12 months ending June 
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, 29% were granted bail by the police, with 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 21% of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts, 
just under 3% were remanded in custody, just over 1% had an unknown remand 
status, and the remaining 75% 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 35%, with a further 48% remanded on bail. Of those remanded in custody at the 
Crown Court, 73% 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 
69,400 FTA warrants from the courts, of which 87% 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 24,400 at the end of June 2008 to 16,500 at the end of June 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 June 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 June 2003 to 
82% 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 
7 

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. 
 
Figure 4:  Prosecutions at magistrates’ courts and convictions at all courts, 
with conviction ratio, June 2003 to June 2013 
0
400
800
1,200
1,600
2,000
2,400
2,800
3,200
3,600
4,000
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
12 months ending June
Number of defendants
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Conviction ratio (%)
Conviction ratio (%)
Proceeded against
Found guilty
 
 
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), 25% to 
community sentences, 19% to a fine, and 11% to a Suspended Sentence Order 
(SSO). Over 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 
June 2005 and June 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 June 2011, after 
which large decrease in volumes have been observed – a decrease of 28% over the 
last two years. 
 
 
8 

Figure 5: Sentencing outcomes (percentages of all offenders sentenced) at all 
courts, June 2003 to June 2013 
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
12 months ending June
Percentage of offenders sentenced
Fine 
Otherwise dealt with
Discharge (absolute or conditional)
Suspended sentence
Community sentence
Immediate custody 
 
 
Between the 12 months ending June 2007 and June 2012, the immediate custody 
rate (the proportion of all persons sentenced receiving immediate custody) increased 
–  up from 6.7% to 8.2% – 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 7.8%. 
 
The average length of custodial sentences has increased over the last decade – up 
to 14.8 months in the latest year, compared with 12.7 months in the 12 months 
ending June 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. 
 
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. 
Both of these measures could potentially impact upon ACSL in future. 
 
9 

Due to current recording issues, an estimate has had to be made, using prison 
population data, of the number of persons sentenced to immediate custody since 3rd 
December 2012 who were given an EDS. The best current estimate is that 343 
offenders were sentenced to an EDS between 3rd December 2012 and up to and 
including 30th June 2013. 
 
Gender comparisons 
 
Males account for seven out of every ten individuals proceeded against in court, but 
over nine out of every ten offenders sentenced to immediate custody.  
 
Figure 6: Persons proceeded against at magistrates’ courts, by age and 
gender, 12 months ending June 2013 
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
65+
40-64
22-39
18-21
10-17
Age group
Percentage of defendants proceeded against
Males
Females
Not stated
 
 
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 8%, compared to a 2% 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. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
10 

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 June 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, in the 12 
months ending June 2013, nearly 60% of those with 15 or more previous sanctions 
were convicted of offences related to theft – by comparison, only 24% of those with 
no previous convictions or cautions were convicted of theft offences. In contrast, 
sexual offences and fraud offences each accounted for 8% of convictions for those 
offenders with no previous history, but only 1% 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 42% and 1% 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 77% of juveniles in this group and 60% of adults. 
 
 
11 

Figure 7:  Flows through the Criminal Justice System, 12 months ending 
 
June 2013 
 
Notifiable and non-notifiable principal offences ( * all offences)
Cautions
187,376
96,444
      
2,178,527
1,530,494 (*)
(*)
Guilty Plea
75,585
Not Guilty Plea
9,442
Fined
Custody
Other
Fined
Custody
Suspended
Other
disposal
sentence
disposal
1,608
41,265
2,826
190
6,677
1,449
269
Fined
Custody
Other 
808,605
44,558
108,011
14.8 months
(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.
Notifiable
O ffe n c e s
Recorded Crime 
(1)
3,490,354
Offences detected
Crown Prosecution Service receive papers
from the police for prosecution
CPS discontinue the case
or case unable to proceed
D e fe n d a n ts  (o ffe n c e s )
CPS proceed with charge
Cannabis warnings
Penalty Notices for Disorder
Number found guilty by magistrates
Number tried at the Crown Court
(2)
1,124,471
82,188
Number found guilty at Crown Court
Number committed for sentence at Crown Court
Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts
68,725
1,449,203
(*)
66,235
153,196
18,813
Number sentenced by magistrates
Number sentenced by the Crown Court
1,103,551
85,027
Community
Suspended
Community 
sentence
sentence
sentence
11,610
18,276
857
Community
Suspended 
sentence
119,862
22,515
Total sentenced to custody
Total sentences to be served in the community
(3)
92,500
174,569
84,016
144,804
(1) Covers all indictable offences, including triable either way, plus a few closely associated summary offences. 
Average custodial sentence length
Prison receptions
(4)
Probation starts
(5)
 
 
 
 
 
 
12 

England and Wales
June
2009
June
2010
June
2011
June
2012
June
2013
Out of court disposals
589,986
499,769
453,630
405,387
352,545
-13.0%
Cannabis warnings
102,339
86,361
81,012
74,283
68,725
-7.5%
Penalty Notices for Disorder (1)
176,123
152,895
133,486
117,462
96,444
-17.9%
Cautions 
311,524
260,513
239,132
213,642
187,376
-12.3%
Defendants proceeded against
1,649,393
1,682,303
1,616,686
1,528,859
1,449,203
-5.2%
Indictable offences (2)
405,458
425,903
433,522
404,200
359,361
-11.1%
Summary offences
1,243,935
1,256,400
1,183,164
1,124,659
1,089,842
-3.1%
Offenders convicted
1,415,519
1,391,646
1,342,805
1,272,174
1,190,706
-6.4%
Indictable offences
322,672
337,015
351,201
330,512
291,958
-11.7%
Summary offences
1,092,847
1,054,631
991,604
941,662
898,748
-4.6%
Prison receptions(3)
98,059
92,053
90,032
89,772
84,016
-14.3%
Probation starts(4)
168,781
166,659
164,224
155,663
144,804
-14.2%
(2) Indictable offences including 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.
Table Q1.1 - Individuals entering the Criminal Justice System, 12 months ending June 2009 to 12 months ending June 2013
12 months ending
Percentage 
change 12 
months ending 
June 2012 to 
June 2013
(1) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. Penalty notices are no longer available for persons aged under 
18 from 8 April 2013.
 
 
 
 
 
England and Wales
June
2009
June
2010
June
2011
June
2012
June
2013
Total offenders sentenced(1)
1,372,237
1,389,421
1,341,662
1,270,752
1,188,578
-6.5%
Total persons sentenced(2)
1,363,716
1,381,186
1,334,083
1,264,078
1,182,248
-6.5%
Immediate custody (persons)
99,802
99,550
103,809
103,809
92,500
-10.9%
Suspended sentence (persons)
42,275
46,456
48,976
46,863
42,240
-9.9%
Community sentence (persons)
195,570
188,401
184,149
165,837
132,329
-20.2%
Fines (all offenders)
909,932
927,363
874,299
833,895
810,403
-2.8%
Other disposals (all offenders)
124,658
127,651
130,468
120,348
111,106
-7.7%
Average custodial sentence length (months)(3)
13.5
13.8
14.0
14.5
14.8
2.2%
change
Immediate custody (persons)
7.3
7.2
7.8
8.2
7.8
-0.4
Suspended sentence (persons)
3.1
3.4
3.7
3.7
3.6
-0.1
Community sentence (persons)
14.3
13.6
13.8
13.1
11.2
-1.9
Fines (all offenders)
66.3
66.7
65.2
65.6
68.2
2.6
Other disposals (all offenders)
9.1
9.2
9.7
9.5
9.3
-0.1
(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.
Table Q1.2 - Offenders sentenced by principal sentence, 12 months ending June 2009 to 12 months ending June 2013
Percentage point
Percentage of those sentenced(4)
(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.
(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.
12 months ending
Percentage 
change 12 months 
ending June 2012 
to June 2013
 
 
13 

 
England and Wales
June
2009
June
2010
June
2011
June
2012
June
2013
Recorded crime(1)
4,505,971
4,124,066
3,960,425
3,724,123
3,490,354
-6.3%
Out of court disposals
545,297
458,332
416,779
372,112
324,437
-12.8%
Cannabis warnings
102,339
86,361
81,012
74,283
68,725
-7.5%
Penalty Notices for Disorder (2)
116,773
101,117
86,812
73,362
58,606
-20.1%
Cautions 
326,185
270,854
248,955
224,467
197,106
-12.2%
Proceedings
968,409
1,010,089
1,004,984
958,673
868,744
-9.4%
Convictions
745,978
754,664
757,517
732,791
667,075
-9.0%
Offences taken into consideration(1)
88,483
73,298
69,211
59,189
50,568
-14.6%
Proven offences(3)
1,379,758
1,286,294
1,243,507
1,164,092
1,042,080
-10.5%
(3) Includes out of court disposals, convictions and offences taken into consideration.
(2) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. Penalty notices are no longer available for persons aged under 18 from 
8 April 2013.
Table Q1.3 - Recorded crime and notifiable offence outcomes, 12 months ending June 2009 to 12 months ending June 2013
12 months ending
Percentage 
change 12 
months ending 
June 2012 to 
June 2013
(1) Excluding fraud offences. For the year ending June 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that 
include centralised (Action Fraud) recording of fraud, as well as 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 between years.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
Offence Group
12 months 
ending
Recorded 
crime(1)
Cannabis 
warnings
Penalty Notices 
for Disorder(2)
Cautions
Proceedings
Convictions
Violence against the person
June 2012
747,255
-
21,221
90,343
301,795
205,562
June 2013
713,847
-
14,931
80,718
267,050
180,680
Sexual offences
June 2012
52,189
-
-
1,716
32,040
20,015
June 2013
56,842
-
-
1,661
28,698
19,572
Burglary
June 2012
488,724
-
-
3,370
46,051
32,525
June 2013
454,908
-
-
2,489
39,304
27,920
Robbery
June 2012
71,435
-
-
206
19,458
12,788
June 2013
62,364
-
-
166
14,784
10,555
Theft and handling stolen goods
June 2012
1,476,569
-
31,704
46,535
222,982
189,790
June 2013
1,390,105
-
25,331
38,072
208,200
178,985
Fraud and forgery
(1)
June 2012
-
-
-
6,125
61,479
45,240
June 2013
-
-
-
5,048
56,529
40,201
Criminal damage
June 2012
599,304
-
4,231
25,727
73,285
57,856
June 2013
530,265
-
2,970
22,553
66,688
52,375
Drug offences
June 2012
222,898
74,282
16,206
44,416
107,251
94,621
June 2013
206,626
68,208
15,374
40,905
100,288
87,871
Other notifiable offences
June 2012
58,390
-
-
6,029
94,332
74,394
June 2013
56,667
-
-
5,494
87,203
68,916
All Notifiable Offences(1)
June 2012
3,716,764
74,282
73,362
224,467
958,673
732,791
June 2013
3,471,624
68,208
58,606
197,106
868,744
667,075
(2) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. Penalty notices are no longer available for persons aged under 18 from 8 April 2013.
Table Q1.4(i) - Recorded crime and notifiable offence outcomes by offence group, 12 months ending June 2012 and 12 months ending June 2013
(1) Fraud offences are excluded from this table. For the year ending June 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.  
14 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
Jun 2003 Jun 2004 Jun 2005 Jun 2006 Jun 2007 Jun 2008 Jun 2009 Jun 2010 Jun 2011 Jun 2012
England and Wales
Jun-03
Jun-04
Jun-05
Jun-06
Jun-07
Jun-08
Jun-09
Jun-10
Jun-11
Jun
Crime measured by Crime Survey for England and Wales(1)
12,121
11,295
10,774
11,016
11,022
10,476
10,034
9,566
9,718
9
Notifiable offences
-   offences recorded by the police(3)(4)
5,672
5,635
5,348
5,317
5,158
4,722
4,506
4,124
3,960
3
Number of offenders cautioned(5)
230
         
252
         
271
         
328
         
363
         
348
         
312
         
261
         
239
         
2
         
of which for indictable offences (6)
146
        
156
        
165
        
197
        
207
        
194
        
172
        
143
        
130
        
1
        
Number of offenders issued Penalty Notices for Disorder
*
..
113
174
214
         
192
         
176
         
153
         
133
         
1
         
of which for indictable offences (6)
*
..
12
30
          
45
          
44
          
49
          
43
          
37
          
          
Number of offences detected by means of cannabis warnings (all indictable)(3)
*
..
..
70
           
87
           
105
         
102
         
86
           
81
           
          
Defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts
1,931
      
2,005
      
2,016
      
1,845
      
1,741
      
1,693
      
1,649
      
1,682
      
1,617
      
1,
      
of which for indictable offences (6)
516
         
463
         
452
         
420
         
402
         
398
         
405
         
426
         
434
         
4
         
Defendants found guilty at magistrates' courts
1,372
      
1,466
      
1,491
      
1,399
      
1,345
      
1,331
      
1,300
      
1,311
      
1,259
      
1,
      
of which for indictable offences (6)
516
        
463
        
452
        
420
        
402
        
398
        
405
        
426
        
434
        
4
        
Defendants sentenced at the Crown Court after summary conviction
16
           
16
           
16
           
19
           
17
           
18
           
18
           
17
           
19
           
          
Defendants tried at the Crown Court
78
           
79
           
77
           
75
           
79
           
85
           
91
           
101
         
105
         
          
Defendants found guilty at the Crown Court
60
           
59
           
61
           
58
           
61
           
68
           
73
           
81
           
84
           
          
of which for indictable offences (6)
58
          
57
          
58
          
55
          
58
          
65
          
70
          
77
          
80
          
          
Total offenders found guilty at both courts
1,432
     
1,525
      
1,552
     
1,457
     
1,407
     
1,399
     
1,374
      
1,392
      
1,343
     
1,
      
of which for indictable offences (6)
573
        
520
        
510
        
475
        
461
        
463
        
475
        
502
        
513
        
4
        
Total offenders found guilty or cautioned(5)
1,662
      
1,778
      
1,823
      
1,785
      
1,770
      
1,747
      
1,685
      
1,652
      
1,582
      
1,
      
of which for indictable offences (6)
719
        
676
        
675
        
672
        
668
        
657
        
647
        
645
        
643
        
5
        
Total sentenced (offenders)
Magistrates' court
1,354
     
1,449
     
1,473
     
1,379
     
1,328
     
1,312
     
1,281
     
1,292
     
1,238
     
1,
     
Crown Court
77
          
75
          
77
          
77
          
78
          
85
          
91
          
98
          
104
        
          
Sentence
 Custody 
109
        
105
        
106
        
99
          
93
          
99
          
100
        
100
        
104
        
1
        
 Suspended Sentence
3
            
3
            
4
            
22
          
39
          
42
          
42
          
46
          
49
          
          
 Community Sentence
193
        
192
        
207
        
199
        
192
        
193
        
196
        
188
        
184
        
1
        
 Fine
976
        
1,073
     
1,082
     
994
        
943
        
920
        
910
        
927
        
874
        
8
        
 Other Sentences
150
        
151
        
152
        
142
        
139
        
144
        
125
        
128
        
130
        
1
        
(2) Statistically significant change, see Section 8 of the User Guide to Crime Statistics for England and Wales:
http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/guide-method/method-quality/specific/crime-statistics-methodology/index.html
2013
Jun 2013
Thousands
-12
Jun-13
,123
8,507
-6.8% (2)
,724
3,490
-6.3%
14
187
         
-12.3%
14
98
          
-13.7%
17
96
           
-17.9%
32
25
          
-20.1%
74
 
68
           
-8.2%
529
1,449
      
-5.2%
04
359
         
-11.1%
195
1,124
      
-5.9%
04
359
        
-11.1%
21
 
19
           
-11.4%
95
 
82
           
-13.6%
77
 
66
           
-14.1%
74
63
          
-14.0%
272
1,191
      
-6.4%
78
423
        
-11.5%
486
1,378
      
-7.3%
91
521
        
-11.9%
172
1,104
     
-5.9%
98
85
          
-13.5%
04
93
          
-10.9%
47
42
          
-9.9%
66
132
        
-20.2%
34
810
        
-2.8%
20
111
        
-7.7%
(3) Includes British Transport Police.
(6) Indictable offences include those triable-either-way.
(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
Table Q1.5 - Summary of criminal justice statistics, 12 months ending June 2003 to 12 months ending June 2013
12 months ending
(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 
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
guilty in a given year may have been proceeded against in an earlier year.
(4) Excluding fraud offences.  For the year ending June 2013 figures, the Office for National Statistics published headline national crime figures that include centralised (Action Fraud) recording 
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.  
 and breath tests'.
Percentage change 
12 months ending 
June 2012 to June 
2013
England and Wales (known until 1 April 
 to interview. Further, offenders found 
of fraud and a separate series which 
15 

16 
spended 
Sentence 
Otherwise 
dealt with
Custody  
Custody 
Rate (%)(5)
England and Wales
Offence Group
12 
months 
ending
Cannabis 
warnings
Penalty Notices 
for Disorder(1)
Cautions
Proceedings Convictions
Conviction 
Ratio (%)(2)
Proven 
Offenders(3)
Sentenced(4)
Discharged 
Fine 
Community 
Sentence 
Su
Average 
Custodial 
Sentence 
Length 
(months)(7)
7,866
1,141
14,284
36.0
19.6
6,878
1,648
12,678
37.6
20.4
504
127
3,476
58.7
53.8
497
112
3,259
59.4
55.4
Violence against the person
Jun-12
-
-
14,293
55,161
39,865
72.3
54,158
39,647
1,653
2,286
12,417
Jun-13
-
-
11,966
55,161
34,061
61.7
46,027
33,706
1,439
2,345
8,718
Sexual offences
Jun-12
-
-
1,450
9,791
5,931
60.6
7,381
5,917
118
98
1,594
Jun-13
-
-
1,447
9,791
5,512
56.3
6,959
5,489
79
124
1,418
Burglary
Jun-12
-
-
2,963
32,490
24,872
76.6
27,835
24,576
454
324
8,244
Jun-13
-
-
2,264
26,887
20,500
76.2
22,764
20,143
332
249
5,925
Robber
2,745
440
12,369
50.3
18.7
2,460
519
10,658
52.9
19.9
y
Jun-12
-
-
202
13,623
9,034
66.3
9,236
9,049
15
1
2,926
Jun-13
-
-
160
10,595
7,377
69.6
7,537
7,368
21
16
2,082
Theft and handling stolen goods
Jun-12
-
31,704
38,829
133,375
119,325
89.5
189,858
118,816
24,041
16,662
40,321
Jun-13
-
25,331
32,006
118,919
105,721
88.9
163,058
105,033
22,287
16,276
30,848
Fraud and forger
548
250
5,309
58.7
34.7
534
81
4,634
62.9
37.6
8,769
5,402
23,621
19.9
4.2
7,331
6,143
22,148
21.1
4.2
y
Jun-12
-
-
5,242
22,312
18,024
80.8
23,266
17,842
1,903
2,386
5,674
Jun-13
-
-
4,347
20,282
15,576
76.8
19,923
15,352
1,493
1,935
4,624
Criminal damage
Jun-12
-
-
4,324
8,780
6,747
76.8
11,071
6,659
1,314
759
2,604
Jun-13
-
-
3,445
3,445
5,394
156.6
8,839
5,298
1,066
698
1,971
Drug offences
Jun-12
74,283
16,206
40,855
65,415
59,933
91.6
191,277
59,430
8,649
22,118
12,358
Jun-13
68,725
15,374
37,515
63,522
57,218
90.1
178,832
56,518
9,801
20,909
10,379
Indictable motoring offences
Jun-12
-
-
-
3,457
3,112
90.0
3,112
3,155
34
245
770
Jun-13
-
-
-
3,193
2,788
87.3
2,788
2,813
35
182
688
Other indictable offences
Jun-12
-
-
5,452
59,796
43,669
73.0
49,121
43,638
3,203
11,616
7,074
Jun-13
-
-
4,933
51,901
37,811
72.9
42,744
37,846
2,871
10,967
5,580
Indictable offences(7)
Jun-12
74,283
47,910
113,610
404,200
330,512
81.8
566,315
328,729
41,384
56,495
93,982
Jun-13
68,725
40,705
98,083
363,696
291,958
80.3
499,471
289,566
39,424
53,701
72,233
Summary non-motoring
Jun-12
-
69,552
100,032
598,461
487,082
81.4
656,666
487,354
43,878
351,894
58,098
Jun-13
-
55,739
89,293
556,643
443,673
79.7
588,705
443,843
39,679
326,587
48,461
Summary motoring offences
Jun-12
-
-
-
526,198
454,580
86.4
454,580
454,669
5,997
425,506
13,757
Jun-13
-
-
-
533,199
455,075
85.3
455,075
455,169
5,482
430,115
11,635
Summary Offences
Jun-12
-
69,552
100,032
1,124,659
941,662
83.7
1,111,246
942,023
49,875
777,400
71,855
Jun-13
-
55,739
89,293
1,089,842
898,748
82.5
1,043,780
899,012
45,161
756,702
60,096
All Offences
Jun-12
74,283
117,462
213,642
1,528,859
1,272,174
83.2
1,677,561
1,270,752
91,259
833,895
165,837
Jun-13
68,725
96,444
187,376
1,453,538
1,190,706
81.9
1,543,251
1,188,578
84,585
810,403
132,329
(1) Number of Penalty Notices for Disorder issued to offenders aged 16 and over. Penalty notices are no longer available for persons aged under 18 from 8 April 2013.
(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.
Table Q1.6(i) - “Proven Offenders” in the criminal justice system, by offence group and outcomes, 12 months ending June 2012 and 12 months ending June 2013
3,338
351
4,190
23.5
13.1
3,144
367
3,789
24.7
12.5
403
469
1,110
16.7
20.7
337
392
834
15.7
22.5
4,352
2,187
9,766
16.4
29.9
4,396
2,416
8,617
15.2
29.4
895
34
1,177
37.3
9.7
808
17
1,083
38.5
9.7
4,372
6,741
10,632
24.8
10.8
4,036
5,048
9,344
25.2
10.2
33,792
17,142
85,934
26.2
17.0
30,421
16,743
77,044
26.7
17.3
9,069
9,786
14,629
3.0
2.5
8,405
8,005
12,706
2.9
2.6
4,002
2,161
3,246
0.7
3.1
3,414
1,773
2,750
0.6
3.1
13,071
11,947
17,875
1.9
2.6
11,819
9,778
15,456
1.7
2.7
46,863
29,089
103,809
8.2
14.5
42,240
26,521
92,500
7.8
14.8

17 
Explanatory notes 
 
The statistics in this bulletin relate to cases in the Crown and magistrates’ courts in 
England and Wales during 12 months ending June 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-june-2013 
 
Contacts 
 
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:  
 
Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx  
Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
 
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: xxx@xxx.xx 
 
General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be e-mailed 
to: xxx@xxx.xx 
 
General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from: 
www.statistics.gov.uk 
 
 
 
© Crown copyright 
Produced by the Ministry of Justice 
Alternative formats are available on request from 
xxx@xxx.xx