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Sentencing from 1996-97 to 2007-08 (Numbers)

Description

The graph, Sentencing from 1996-97 to 2007-08 (numbers), presents numbers of different sentence types imposed by the Victorian Magistrates’ Court between 1996-97 and 2007-08.     

Commentary

Since 1996-97, the overall number of people sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court has fallen by 11%, from 98,802 to 88,077 in 2007-08.  However, in 2007-08 the total number of people sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court was 9% higher than in the previous year due largely to an increase in fines.

Of the 88,077 people sentenced in the Magistrates’ Court in 2007-08:

• 4% or 3,569 were sentenced to imprisonment
• 2% or 1,575 were sentenced to an intensive correction order
• 7% or 6,195 were sentenced to a wholly or partially suspended sentence of imprisonment
• 5% or 4,323 were sentenced to a community based order
• 56% or 49,299 were sentenced to a fine
• 6% or 5,499 were placed on a criminal justice diversion plan
• 6% or 8,277 were sentenced to an adjourned undertaking, Commonwealth Orders, or a good behavior bond
• 10% or 8,657 were discharged or dismissed

Explanatory notes

Up until 2001-02, the data collection systems used by the Department of Justice counted selected adjourned undertakings and fines under a single sentence type category. This prevented the Council separating these sentences into discrete categories for analysis until the data collection systems changed in 2001-02 such that all sentence types were counted separately.

The sentencing statistics of the Magistrates' and Children's Courts that relate to the number of people discharged or dismissed have been revised by the Council to improve the accuracy and reliability of the data. The Council will undertake additional data cleansing in the future and therefore further minor adjustments to the number of defendants discharged or dismissed will occur. Revisions to the data have been performed in consultation with the Department of Justice.

The criminal justice diversion program (CJDP) is not a sentencing outcome but has been included in these data because it represents the way in which a substantial number of people are dealt with in the Magistrates’ Court. The CJDP is a court disposition that provides eligible offenders with the opportunity to avoid conviction by undertaking conditions that will benefit the offender, victim and/or community.

Please refer to Sentence Classification 1996-97 to 2007-08 for a description of sentence types included in each category.

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.