Criminal justice statistics infographic
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.

Sexual offences
Cautions for sexual offences have been decreasing, but prosecutions, convictions, 
and custodial sentence lengths for sexual offences have increased since 2005.
5,703
17,973
10,901
8,393
2,993
1,410
2,000,000
1,500,000
1,000,000
500,000
0
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Number of defendants prosecuted
Number of out of court disposals
2005
0%
3%
6%
9%
12%
15%
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
Community sentence 
Suspended sentence 
Drunk and 
disorderly
Possession of 
cannabis
Causing 
harassment, 
alarm or 
distress
Theft (retail 
under £100)
Other higher tier 
offences (£90)
Other lower tier 
offences (£60)
Proportion of offenders sentenced
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
2013
2014
2015
6,453
20,640
14,148
23,330
50,949
10,679
Summary 
offences
Violence against 
the person
Theft 
offences
Criminal 
damage and 
arson
Drug 
offences
Other indictable 
offences
New suspended 
sentences with 
requirements 
became 
available
Longer suspended 
sentences without 
requirements were 
introduced
Adults
Juveniles
Number of offenders given cautions, 2015
Overview
In the past decade, the total number of people and companies dealt with by the 
criminal justice system has decreased. The number of defendants prosecuted 
increased by 2% in the latest year, whereas the number given out of court disposals 
(excluding community resolutions) decreased by 23%.
Prosecutions and convictions
Over the past decade, the number of defendants prosecuted has decreased, 
and the composition of prosecutions at the magistrates’ court has changed, 
with summary non-motoring decreasing less than other offence types:	
Out of court disposals
The overall cautioning rate in 2015 was 15%, declining from a peak of 31% in 2007.
The use of PNDs has decreased year on year since their peak in 2007.
Number of offenders issued with Penalty 
Notices for Disorder(PNDs), 2015
72%
Fines
28%
Other 
sentences
1.25 million offenders received sentences 
at courts in England and Wales in 2015. 
Most were fines:
Average custodial sentence 
length has increased by:
Outcomes for defendants on custodial remand
Sentencing
Criminal Justice 
Statistics
England and Wales, 2015
Criminal histories
The number of first time entrants 
to the Criminal Justice System fell 
by 53% between 2005 and 2015.
Remands
Most people remanded in custody at the Crown Court were later sentenced to 
immediate custody, and most remanded in custody at the magistrates’ court were 
then committed for trial or sentence at the Crown Court:
Use of community sentences has decreased and suspended sentences have 
become more prevalent:
Crown Court
Magistrates’ court
Committed for 
trial/sentence
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
Acquitted
Failed to appear
Non-custodial 
sentence
Immediate 
custody
since 2005, to 16.2 
months in 2015.
3.6 
months
13%
-40%
-30%
-20%
-10%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
0%
Proceeded 
against
Convicted
Sentenced
Sentenced to 
custody
Average 
custodial 
sentence 
length
1,077 
in 2015
12,609
in 2015
6,885
in 2015
6,847
in 2015
4,106
in 2015
61.9 
months
in 2015
Offenders 
cautioned
Change in the number of defendants prosecuted (2005-2015)
-30%
0
-5%
-10%
-15%
-20%
-25%
-35%
All
Indictable 
only
Triable 
either way
Summary
non-motoring
Summary
motoring
…and the number of juveniles convicted 
has fallen much more steeply than adults:
Adults 
12%
Juveniles 
70% 
Failing to supply 
information as to 
identity of driver... 
…and speed 
limit offences.
The largest increases between 2014 
and 2015 were in:
31%
 9% 
Motoring offences
The number of defendants prosecuted 
for motoring offences has increased by:


between 2014 and 2015.
Change between 2005 and 2015
53%
The rate of decline in juvenile first time entrants has halved since 2013:
Number of first time entrants
0
50
100
150
200
250
1,492,155
in 2015
25,017
in 2015
330,890
in 2015
559,896
in 2015
576,352
in 2015