Criminal justice statistics: September 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.

1 
 
 
 
 
Published 15 February 2018 
Criminal Justice Statistics quarterly, England and 
Wales, September 2016 to September 2017 
(provisional) 
       
Main points 
1.65 million individuals 
dealt with by the CJS 
 
The total number of individuals formally dealt with by the 
criminal justice system (CJS) in England and Wales has 
declined since 2007 and fell 7% in the latest year to a 
record low, with 1.65 million individuals dealt with in the 
year ending September 2017. 
1.40 million defendants 
were prosecuted 
 
The number prosecuted at magistrates’ courts fell by 5% 
in the latest year, driven by decreases in prosecutions for 
indictable and summary non-motoring offences. 
The conviction ratio was 
86% 
 
The overall conviction ratio increased by one percentage 
point in the latest year to 86%, the highest in the decade. 
Custody rate for 
indictable offences rose 
to 32% 
 
The custody rate for indictable offences has increased 
since September 2010, from 24% to 32%. 
ACSL increased to 19.7 
months for indictable 
offences and stabilised at 
16.7 months overall 
 
Average custodial sentence length (ACSL) has steadily 
increased since September 2007, when it was 12.4 
months overall and 15.2 months for indictable offences. 
This publication gives criminal justice statistics for the latest 12 month period. These are 
presented alongside the same rolling 12 month periods for the previous 10 years, giving 
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, scheduled to be published 
on 17 May 2018. For full and detailed commentary, please refer to the annual publication. 
For technical detail please refer to the accompanying guide to criminal justice statistics. 
Alongside this publication, we will be publishing a new analytical paper on prolific offenders 
and an interactive Sankey diagram for offending histories which can be found at:  
moj-analytical-services.github.io/criminal_history_sankey/index.html 
 
We have changed 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 contact us at 
xxx@xxx.xx 

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1. Overview of the Criminal Justice System  
1.65 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 (CJS)2 
in England and Wales has declined since 2007 and fell 7% in the latest year to a record 
low, with 1.65 million individuals dealt with in the year ending September 2017 (see 
Figure 1). 
Figure 1: Individuals dealt with formally by the CJS3, 12 months ending September 
2007 to September 2017 (Source: Table Q1.1 and historical data) 
 
The number of individuals formally dealt with by the CJS fell by 7% in the latest year. The 
number of individuals prosecuted at all courts fell by around 5%, which is broadly in line with 
the latest crime outcomes statistics published by the Home Office4. These show that the 
number of suspects issued a charge/summons fell by 4% in the latest year. This is despite a 
15% increase in overall police-recorded crime5 (to 4.7million offences excluding fraud), 
believed to be associated with improved recording among police forces and victims’ greater 
willingness to report crimes. The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW), estimated 
10.6 million incidents of crime in the latest year (including fraud and computer misuse)6, a 
reduction of 10% compared with the previous year (or a reduction of 6% if excluding fraud 
and computer misuse offences).  
 
                                                          
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 The number of individuals formally dealt with by the CJS is the sum of all defendants prosecuted at magistrates’ court plus all 
individuals issued an out of court disposal (including community resolutions). 
3 Adding three years of community resolutions data causes the apparent increase in OOCDs from the year ending September 
2015, but the downward trend continued for each type of OOCD throughout the period.   
4 www.gov.uk/government/statistics/crime-outcomes-in-england-and-wales-year-to-september-2017-data-tables  
5 This is the figure for the overall change in police recorded crime excluding fraud published by the Office for National Statistics. 
It may not exactly match the change shown in our overview tables. See the annual version of this publication for further 
discussion of the trend in police recorded crime. 
6www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingseptember201
7 

3 
 
2. Out of Court Disposals  
The use of out of court disposals (OOCDs) decreased by 43,700 (15%) in the year ending 
September 2017, when 253,200 individuals were issued an OOCD. This reduction can be 
seen across all OOCD types and continues the steady decline in the use of OOCDs over the 
last ten years (excluding Community Resolutions7, see Figure 2).  The decrease in the 
number of OOCDs issued followed a number of policy changes relating to police practice 
and OOCD availability8. 
Figure 2: Out of court disposals issued, by disposal, 12 months ending: September 
2007 to September 2017 (Source: Tables Q.1.1, Q2.1 & Q2.2 and historic data) 
 
The number of Penalty Notices for Disorder (PNDs) administered was 28,200, falling 27% 
from the previous year. The most common offences that resulted in a PND were ‘drunk and 
disorderly’, theft (under £100), possession of cannabis, and causing harassment, alarm or 
distress, and together these accounted for 91% of all PNDs. 
The total number of cautions administered was 88,600, falling 18% from the previous year. 
Drug offences, theft and violence against the person were the most common indictable 
offences9 for which an offender received a caution (accounting for 80% of all cautions for 
indictable offences). The overall cautioning rate10 (among those cautioned or convicted 
excluding summary motoring offences) fell in the latest year from 13% to 11%.  
The number of Community Resolutions administered was 104,850, decreasing 8% since the 
previous year.  
                                                          
7 Separately identifiable data on community resolutions were first collected from police forces under the full crime outcomes 
framework introduced from April 2014. These have been incorporated where comparable years of data are available. 
8 See the annual version of this publication for further detail. 
9 The majority of information presented in this publication is on the principal offence and principal sentence. Where 
prosecutions involve more than one offence, the principal offence is reported. See the technical guide for more information. 
10 The cautioning rate is the proportion of offenders who were either cautioned or convicted (excluding convictions for motoring 
offences) that were given a caution. 

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3. Court prosecutions and convictions 
Overall, the number of defendants prosecuted fell to 1.40 million 
 
In the 12 months ending September 2017, 1.40 million defendants were prosecuted at 
magistrates’ courts, down from 1.48 million in the previous year. This was an overall fall 
of 5%, driven by falls in indictable and summary non-motoring offences. 
 
Figure 3: Defendants prosecuted at magistrates' courts, 12 months ending September 
2007 to September 2017, by type of offence (Source: Table Q3.2) 
0
100
200
300
400
500
600
700
800
900
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
Defendants proceeded against 
(thousands)
12 months ending September
Indictable
Summary non-motoring
Summary motoring
 
The decline in overall prosecutions since the year ending September 2016 is primarily driven 
by a decline in defendants prosecuted for summary non-motoring and indictable offences. 
Following a gradual increase since 2012, prosecutions for summary motoring offences have 
been relatively stable since September 2015. Prosecutions for indictable offences have 
steadily declined since 2010 and decreased by 8% in the last year, whereas prosecutions for 
summary non-motoring offences have decreased 8% in the last year, reversing the upward 
trend seen since September 2014.  
There were 1.2 million offenders convicted in the year ending September 2017, down 3% on 
the previous year. As with prosecutions, this decrease is driven by a fall in convictions for 
indictable and summary non-motoring offences (down 10% and 5% respectively), however 
there was an increase of 1% in convictions for summary motoring offences – these offences 
account for 43% of all offenders found guilty.  
                                                          
11 Conviction ratio is calculated as the number of offenders convicted as a proportion of the number prosecuted in a given year.  
The conviction ratio increased to 86% 
 
Although the total number of offenders convicted fell, the overall conviction ratio11 
increased from 85% to 86% in the latest year, the highest in the decade. When 
compared to the previous year, the conviction ratio for indictable offences has 
decreased by one percentage point to 83%. 

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4. Remands  
The overall trends of remands have remained stable. 
 
In the latest year, there was a slight decrease in the number of defendants remanded 
on bail and in custody, and a slight increase in those summonsed and not remanded. 
 
In the year ending September 2017, there were 1.47 million defendants directed to appear at 
magistrates’ courts (including those who failed to appear). The proportion of defendants 
being summonsed increased from 67% to 70%, the proportion remanded in custody by the 
police remained stable at 10% and the proportion arrested and bailed by police decreased 
from 23% to 21%. Bail was granted to 16% of defendants prosecuted at magistrates’ courts, 
falling from 18% in the previous year. The proportion of defendants remanded in custody 
remained stable at 4%, while 80% had their case concluded at magistrates’ courts without 
being remanded, increasing from 78% in the previous year. 
In the Crown Court, the proportion of defendants not remanded increased from 17% to 20% 
between September 2016 and September 2017. In contrast, a falling proportion of 
defendants were remanded in custody (from 35% to 34%) and on bail (from 48% to 46%), 
bringing remand status figures for Crown Court back in line with proportions seen in 2013. 
Figure 4: Defendants’ remand status in magistrates’ courts and the Crown Court, 12 
months ending September 2013 to 12 months ending September 2017 (Source: Table 
Q4.2 and Q4.3) 
  
 
Defendants are more likely to be remanded in custody for indictable offences than summary 
offences, so the proportion of defendants remanded in custody at the Crown Court is higher 
than at magistrates’ courts. Of those remanded in custody at the Crown Court, 73% were 
sentenced to immediate custody in the year ending September 2017. Half (50%) of all 
defendants who were not remanded at the Crown Court received an immediate custodial 
sentence, and 16% of defendants remanded in custody by magistrates’ courts were 
sentenced there to immediate custody. A further 59% of defendants remanded in custody in 
magistrates’ courts were committed for trial or sentencing at the Crown Court.  

6 
 
5. Sentencing 
Custody rate12 for indictable offences rose to 32% 
 
The overall custody rate, at 7%, is the same as in September 2015 and 2016, while the 
custody rate for indictable offences has increased since September 2010, from 24% to 
32%. 
 
Average custodial sentence length (ACSL) increased to 19.7 months for indictable 
offences and was 16.7 months overall. 
 
ACSL has steadily increased since September 2007, when it was 12.4 months overall 
(now 16.7 months) and 15.2 months for indictable offences (now 19.7 months). 
 
Overall, the number of offenders sentenced at all courts has fallen by 42,700 (3%) since 
2016. Similar to prosecutions and convictions, this is driven by a decline in indictable and 
summary non-motoring offences, which have seen decreases of 10% and 5% respectively.  
The most common sentence given for all offence groups was a fine, accounting for 75% of 
offenders sentenced in the latest year, following a steady increase of 10 percentage points 
since 2011. In the year ending September 2017, a greater proportion of offenders (32%) 
received immediate custody for indictable offences than any other type of sentence, up by 2 
percentage points since 2016. Since 2007, the proportion of offenders receiving a 
community sentence has declined by 14 percentage points, and the proportion of offenders 
receiving a suspended sentence for indictable offences increased by 8 percentage points. 
Figure 5: Sentencing outcome trends for indictable offences at all courts, 12 months 
ending September 2007 to 12 months ending September 201713 (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 September
LASPO Act
Suspended 
sentence
Immediate 
Custody
Fine
Other disposals
Community 
Sentence
 
The number of persons sentenced to custody for sexual offences increased in the last 
decade (from 2,800 to 4,200), which has contributed to the increase in the overall ACSL, as 
custodial sentences for sexual offences are generally longer. However, in the last year there 
has been a 3% decrease in the number of persons sentenced to custody for sexual offences 
and the ACSL stabilised at 60.6 months. 
                                                          
12 Custody rates are calculated as the number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody as a proportion of all sentenced. 
13 For more information on the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders (LASPO) Act 2012, please refer to the 
accompanying Guide to Criminal Justice Statistics.  

7 
 
6. Offending Histories 
Adult offenders convicted for indictable offences are now more likely to receive some 
form of custody, irrespective of their criminal history 
 
Adult offenders convicted for indictable offences are now more likely to receive some 
form of custody (52%), i.e. immediate custody or a suspended sentence, than they are 
to receive a non-custodial sentence, irrespective of their criminal history. 41% of adult 
offenders received some form of custody when convicted 10 years ago. 
 
Figure 6: Adult offenders convicted for indictable offences, by outcome, 12 months 
ending September 2007 to 12 months ending September 2017 (Source: Table Q6.1)  
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Proportion of Offenders Convicted and 
Sentenced
First Time Offenders
Non-Custodial Sentence
Some form of Custody
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017
Proportion of Offenders Convicted and 
Sentenced
Repeat Offenders
Non-Custodial Sentence
Some form of Custody
 
 
Proportion of adults with long criminal careers continues to rise 
Just under two fifths (39%) of adult offenders convicted for an indictable offence in the last 
12 months had a long criminal career (on average 34 previous sanctions), an increase from 
30% 10 years ago. Over half (59%) of adult offenders with a long criminal career received 
some form of custodial sentence. 
Whilst the overall number of juvenile offenders has decreased every year since 2007, the 
proportion that are first time offenders has been increasing since 2011. In the last 12 months 
45% of juvenile offenders cautioned or convicted were first time offenders, a 7 percentage 
point increase since 2011, with a commensurate decline in further offending. 56% of juvenile 
first-time offenders received a caution in the last 12 months and the most common offence 
committed by this group of offenders was a theft offence 
There were around 121,000 persistent offenders14 in the 12 months ending September 2017 
who have been responsible for around 2.7 million crimes through their criminal careers. Of 
these, 39% were given their first official sanction for a theft offence. The first in a new 
analytical series, published alongside this bulletin on “Prolific Offenders”15 16 shows for the 
period 2000 to 2016, around 492,000 individuals met the criteria to be considered prolific.   
                                                          
14 A persistent offender is an offender with 8 or more convictions or cautions.  
15 www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/659655/prolific-offenders-2017.pdf 
16 Please see “Prolific Offenders: Experimental statistics” at www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-system-statistics-
quarterly-september-2017 

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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. 
• 
An analytical paper on prolific offenders. 
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, Responsible Statistician and Head of Criminal Justice Statistics 
Ministry of Justice, 7th Floor, 102 Petty France, London, SW1H 9AJ 
Email: xxx@xxx.xx 
 
Next update: 17 May 2018 
URL: www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-september-2017  
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Produced by the Ministry of Justice 
Alternative formats are available on request from xxx@xxx.xx