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Sentencing in 1999-00 to 2007-08 (Numbers)

Description

The graph, Sentencing in 1999-00 to 2007-08 (numbers), shows the number of people sentenced in the Children’s Court by the sentence type imposed between 1999-00 and 2007-08.

Commentary

From 1999-00 to 2007-08, the number of people sentenced in the Children’s Court ranged from 4,528 (in 1999-00) to 9,413 (in 2007-08). Of the people sentenced in 2007-08:

• 199 (2%) were sentenced to detention in a youth training, residential or justice centre
• 395 (4%) were sentenced to a youth attendance order or youth supervision order
• 939 (10%) were sentenced to probation
• 5,030 (53%) were sentenced to a fine
• 1,914 (20%) were sentenced to a good behaviour bond
• 676 (7%) were sentenced to an undertaking (accountable or unaccountable)
• 260 (3%) were discharged or dismissed (with or without conviction).

From 1999-00 to 2005-06, sentencing trends in the Children’s Court remained largely stable. Then in 2006-07 there was a dramatic change in the number of fines, with the percentage of people sentenced jumping from 39% (2,393 people) in 2005-06 to 64% (7,148 people) in 2006-07. This declined to 54% in 2007-08.

Explanatory notes

The increase in the number of defendants sentenced in the Children's Court in 2006-07 was due to two main reasons, both relating to the increase in age jurisdiction of the Children's Court from young people aged from 10 to 16 years to those aged from 10 to 17, which occurred on 1 July 2005. Firstly, a backlog of infringement matters from the Department of Infrastructure was processed in the Children's Court in 2006-07. The matters related to fare evasion and other public transport related offences among 17 year olds which, prior to the age increase, were processed in the adult PERIN (Penalty Enforcement by Registration of Infringement Notice) system. Secondly, the full impact of the age increase more generally was not felt until 2006-07.

While the number of defendants sentenced in the Children’s Court has decreased from 2006-07 to 2007-08, it has yet to return to the levels seen before the jurisdictional change.

Source

Courts Statistical Services, Department of Justice (Victoria). Unpublished data.

Data

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Author:	Sentencing Advisory Council
Place of Publication:	Melbourne
Publisher:	Sentencing Advisory Council
Date of Publication:	2008
Number of Pages:	1
Copyright:	State of Victoria, Sentencing Advisory Council, 2008.