Criminal justice statistics: March 2017
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.

Published 17th August 2017 
Criminal Justice Statistics quarterly, England and 
Wales, April 2016 to March 2017 (provisional) 
Main points 
1.71 million individuals 
dealt with by the CJS
 
The total number of individuals formally dealt with by the 
criminal justice system is at a record low level (period 
1970 to the year to March 2017), at 1.71 million in the 
latest year. 
1.43 million defendants
were prosecuted
 
The number prosecuted at magistrates’ courts has 
declined by 4% over the latest year. This was driven by a 
fall in both indictable and summary non-motoring 
offences. 
The conviction ratio was
86%
 
The overall conviction ratio increased in the latest year to 
86%, while it has fluctuated between 80% and 84% over 
the earlier years of the decade.  
For indictable offences, 
the custody rate was 31% 
and ACSL was 19.5 
months
 
The custody rate for indictable offences has been 
increasing since March 2011, from 24% to 31%. Average 
custodial sentence length (ACSL) for these offences has 
increased from 15.3 months to 19.5 months since March 
2007. 
First time offenders were 
more likely to be 
convicted than they were 
to be cautioned
 
Offenders with no previous convictions and cautions are 
now more likely to go to court and be convicted (52%) 
than to receive a caution. Only 22% of these offenders 
were convicted 10 years ago. 
This publication gives criminal justice statistics for the latest 12 month period alongside the 
same rolling 12 month periods for the previous 10 years. This enables the presentation of 
longer-term trends across comparable periods. Trends should be interpreted with caution as 
the data presented are provisional and subject to change for the 2017 Criminal Justice 
Statistics annual bulletin, which is scheduled for publication in May 2018. For full and 
detailed commentary, please refer to the annual publication, and for technical detail to the 
accompanying guide to criminal justice statistics. 
A new interactive Sankey diagram for offending histories can be found at: 
moj-analytical-services.github.io/criminal_history_sankey/index.html 
 
We are changing how our quarterly bulletins look, and would welcome any 
feedback to xxx@xxx.xx 
For other feedback related to the content of this publication, please let us know at 
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2 
 
1. Overview of the Criminal Justice System  
1.71 million individuals were dealt with by the CJS in the latest year 
 
The total number of individuals1 formally dealt with by the Criminal Justice System in 
England and Wales has been declining since 2007 to a record low, with 1.71 million 
individuals dealt with in the year ending March 2017 (see Figure 1). 
Figure 1: Individuals dealt with formally by the CJS2, 12 months ending March 2007 to 
12 months ending March 2017 (Source: Table Q1.1 and historic data) 
0
250
500
750
1,000
1,250
1,500
1,750
2,000
2,250
2,500
2,750
3,000
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Total individuals dealt with 
(thousands)
12 months ending March
Proceeded against at magistrates' courts
Issued  out of court disposal
 
Latest figures from the Crime Survey for England and Wales3 (CSEW) estimated 5.9 million 
incidents of crime in the latest year (to March 2017) experienced by adults aged 16 or over. 
This is a statistically significant decrease of 7% compared with the previous year’s survey. 
The CSEW covers a broad range of victim based crimes and includes crimes which do not 
come to the attention of the police. It was estimated there were also 3.4 million fraud and 
1.8 million computer misuse offences experienced by victims in the 12 months ending 
March 2017. In contrast to the CSEW, there was an 11% increase in police recorded crime 
compared with the previous year, to 5.0 million offences; however, this increase is believed 
to be associated with changes in recording practice, and is not directly comparable to crime 
survey data4. 
                                               
1 A single individual (includes people and companies) can be counted more than once in a given year if they are 
dealt with by the CJS on more than one separate occasion. Includes individuals prosecuted, given a caution, 
Penalty Notice for Disorder (PND) or cannabis/khat warning and community resolutions.  
2 Adding three years of community resolutions data causes the apparent increase in OOCDs from the year 
ending March 2015, but the downward trend continued for each type of OOCD throughout the period.   
3 Available at: www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice 
bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingmar2017 
4 This is the published figure for the overall change in police recorded crime. It may not align with the change 
shown in our overview tables, where we exclude fraud for consistent comparisons over our time series. See the 
annual version of this publication for further discussion of the trend in police recorded crime. 

3 
 
2. Out of Court Disposals  
The use of out of court disposals (OOCDs) decreased by 46,500 (14%) in the year ending 
March 2017, with 274,600 individuals issued an OOCD. This decreasing trend can be seen 
across all OOCD types and continues the steady decline in the use of OOCDs since March 
2008 (excluding Community Resolutions5, see Figure 2).  The decrease in the number of 
OOCDs followed a number of policy changes relating to police practice and OOCD 
availability6. 
Figure 2: Out of court disposals issued, by disposal, 12 months ending March 2007 to 
12 months ending March 2017 (Source: Tables Q.1.1, Q2.1 and Q2.2 and historic data) 
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Persons issued an out of court disposal 
(thousands)
12 months ending March
Community Resolutions
Cannabis and khat warnings
Penalty Notices for Disorder
Cautions for summary non-motoring offences
Cautions for indictable offences
 
The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) administered was 32,600, falling 27% 
from the previous year. The most common offences that resulted in a PND were drunk and 
disorderly, theft and possession of cannabis, accounting for 78% of all PNDs. 
The total number of cautions administered was 98,500, falling 18% from the previous year. 
Drug offences, theft and violence against the person were the most common indictable 
offences7 for which an offender received a caution (accounting for 80% of all cautions for 
indictable offences). The overall cautioning rate (among those cautioned or convicted 
excluding summary motoring offences) fell in the latest year from 14% to 12%.  
The number of Community Resolutions administered was 109,900, decreasing 8% since the 
previous year.  
                                               
5 Community resolutions were only incorporated into this trend from the previous annual publication, the first for 
which two full years of data were available. 
6 See the annual version of this publication for further detail. 
7 The majority of information presented in this publication is reported on the principal offence and principal 
sentence. Where prosecutions involve more than one offence, the principal offence is reported. See the 
accompanying technical guide for more information. 

4 
 
3. Court prosecutions and convictions 
Overall, prosecutions fell to 1.43 million defendants 
 
In the 12 months ending March 2017, 1.43 million defendants were prosecuted at 
magistrates’ courts, down from 1.50 million defendants in the 12 months ending March 
2016. This represents a fall of 4% overall which is driven by a fall in indictable and 
summary non-motoring offences (see Figure 3). 
Figure 3: Defendants prosecuted at magistrates' courts, 12 months ending March 
2007 to 12 months ending March 2017, by type of offence (Source: Table Q3.2) 
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Defendants proceeded against 
(thousands)
12 months ending March
Indictable
Summary non-motoring
Summary motoring
 
The decline in overall prosecutions since the year ending March 2016 is primarily driven by 
a decline in summary non-motoring and indictable offences. While summary motoring 
offences have seen a slight increase (less than 1%) in prosecutions, summary non-motoring 
and indictable offences have decreased by 6% and 9% respectively. There was also a 
decline in the overall number of convictions (falling 2% in the year ending March 2017). 
Similarly to prosecutions, this was also driven by convictions for summary non-motoring 
offences decreasing by 4%, and indictable offences decreasing 9% in the year ending 
March 2017.  
The conviction ratio saw a small increase to 86%. 
 
Although the total number of offenders convicted also fell since the 12 months ending 
March 2016, the overall conviction ratio has increased by 2 percentage points to 86% 
(the highest in the decade) in latest year, and has fluctuated between 80% and 84% 
over the earlier years of the decade. The conviction ratio for indictable offences remains 
broadly stable compared to the previous year (83%). 

5 
 
4. Remands  
In the year ending March 2017 there were 1.50 million defendants directed to appear at 
magistrates’ courts (including those who failed to appear). 
The proportion of defendants being summonsed increased from 66% to 68%.The proportion 
remanded in custody by the police remained stable at 10% and the proportion arrested and 
bailed by police decreased from 24% to 22% in the latest year.  
In the latest year, bail was granted to 17% of defendants prosecuted at magistrates’ courts, 
falling from 19% in the previous year. The proportion of defendants remanded in custody 
remained stable at 4%, while 79% had their case concluded at magistrates’ courts without 
being remanded, increasing from 77% in the previous year. 
In the Crown Court there was an increase in the proportion of defendants not remanded in 
custody (increasing from 15% to 19%) in the most recent year. This was contrasted by a 
falling proportion of defendants remanded in custody (decreasing from 36% to 34%) and on 
bail (decreasing from 49% to 47%). 
Figure 4: Defendants’ remand status in magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court, 12 
months ending March 2013 to 12 months ending March 2017 (Source: Table Q4.2 and 
Q4.3) 
  
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Magistrates'
Crown
Not remanded
Remanded on bail
Remanded in custody
Not known
 
Defendants are more likely to be remanded in custody for more serious, 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.  
Of those defendants remanded in custody at the Crown Court in the year ending March 
2017 72% were sentenced to immediate custody. 16% of defendants remanded in custody 
by magistrates’ courts were sentenced there to immediate custody; and a further 58% of 
defendants remanded in custody in magistrates’ courts were committed for trial or 
sentencing at the Crown Court. 

6 
 
5. Sentencing 
 
The most common sentence given for all offence groups is a fine, which accounted for 74% 
of offenders sentenced in the latest year, following a steady increase since 2011 of 9 
percentage points in total. For indictable offences, a greater proportion of offenders (31%) 
received immediate custody than any other type of sentence (Figure 5). Furthermore, the 
proportion of offenders receiving immediate custody rose by 2 percentage points in the 
latest year while the proportion of community sentences decreased similarly. The proportion 
of offenders receiving a community sentence has steadily declined since 2007, while the 
proportion of offenders receiving a suspended sentence for indictable offences stabilised at 
16% in the latest year following a continuous increase over the same period. 
Figure 5: Trends in sentencing outcomes for indictable offences at all courts, 12 
months ending March 2007 to 12 months ending March 2017 (Source: Table Q5.3) 
 
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Offenders sentenced (%)
12 months ending March
LASPO Act
Suspended 
sentence
Immediate 
Custody
Fine
Other disposals
Community 
Sentence
  
The number of offenders sentenced at all courts has fallen by 28,800 (2%) since 2016. 
Similarly to prosecutions and convictions, this is driven by a decline in indictable and 
summary non-motoring offences, which have seen a decline of 9% and 4% respectively.  
For indictable offences, the custody rate rose to 31% and the ACSL increased to 19.5 
months 
The overall custody rate has remained unchanged at 7.2% since the year ending March 
2016 while the custody rate for indictable offences has been increasing since the year 
ending March 2011, from 24% to 31%.  
The average custodial sentence length (ACSL) has increased over the last decade, both 
overall (from 12.4 to 16.6 months) and for indictable offences (from 15.3 to 19.5 
months). This is in part because more people have been sentenced for sexual offences, 
which have the highest ACSL, hence driving up the overall average. The total number of 
persons sentenced for sexual offences in the year ending March 2017 was 4,400, up 
from 2,800 in the year ending March 2007, while the ACSL for sexual offences 
increased by 18 months over the same period.  

7 
 
6. Offending Histories 
Offenders dealt with for indictable offences with no criminal history are now more 
likely to go to court and be convicted than they are to receive a caution 
 
Offenders dealt with for indictable offences with no previous convictions and cautions are 
now more likely to go to court and be convicted (54%) than they are to receive a caution. 
22% of first time offenders went to court and were convicted 10 years ago. 
Figure 6: First time offenders dealt with for indictable offences, by outcome, 12 
months ending March 2007 to 12 months ending March 2017 (Source: Table Q6.1) 
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Proportion of offenders receiving a 
caution or conviction
12 months ending March
Cautioned
Convicted
 
Proportion of adults with long criminal records continues to rise 
Adults convicted of an indictable offence are now more likely to receive some form of 
custody (52%), i.e. immediate custody or a suspended sentence, than a non-custodial 
sentence. For those with long criminal careers, i.e. 15 or more previous cautions or 
conviction, 59% were sentenced to some form of custody. Use of suspended sentences for 
this group increased by 5% over the last 12 months. Around 88,000 adult offenders 
convicted of an indictable offence had 15 or more previous convictions or cautions (long 
criminal records – on average 34 previous sanctions). 39% of adults convicted of an 
indictable offence had a long criminal record compared to 30% 10 years ago.  
There were around 126,000 persistent offenders8 in the 12 months ending March 2017 who 
have been responsible for around 3 million crimes through their criminal careers. Of these, 
39% were given their first official sanction for a theft offence. The number of First Time 
Entrants peaked in 2007 and has fallen since then, the decline has been much sharper for 
juveniles. The number of juvenile FTEs is now around a tenth of that seen at the peak. This 
has in part been driven by the decline in the use of cautions as highlighted in chapter 2. 
                                               
8 A persistent offender is an offender with 8 or more convictions or cautions. The methodology to count the 
number of persistent offenders has been revised from previous publications – the figure now shows the actual 
number of individual offenders instead of the number of sanction occasions. 

8 
 
Further information 
The data presented in this publication are provisional. Final data for each calendar year is 
published in May each year in our Criminal Justice 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: 
 
A technical guide providing further information on how the data is collected and 
processed, as well as information on the revisions policy and legislation relevant to 
sentencing trends and background on the functioning of the criminal justice system. 
 
A set of overview tables, covering each section of this bulletin. 
 
A set of offending histories tables, including a data tool. 
National Statistics status 
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: 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: 
Damon Wingfield, Head of Criminal Justice Statistics 
Ministry of Justice, 7th Floor, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ 
Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
 
Next update: 16 November 2017 
URL: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-quarterly-march-
2017  
 
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