In 2017–18, the Children’s Court of Victoria sentenced 3,817 cases, down from 4,092 cases in the previous year.
The number of cases peaked at 10,658 in 2006–07. This is because the court processed large numbers of infringements at that time. The number of cases then declined each year until 2014–15, when the number reached 3,743.
The Children’s Court sentenced a higher number of cases between 2014–15 and 2016–17. This is due partly to a large increase in youth diversion, from 25 cases in 2014–15 to 1,120 cases in 2016–17. Youth diversion became available in all Children’s Court locations in January 2017.
Note: Youth diversion is not a sentence and does not result from a formal finding of guilt. However, it is an important disposition that the Children's Court can use to divert low-level offenders from the criminal justice system.
Number of cases sentenced in the Children’s Court from July 2004 to June 2018
Hover over the line in the graph to display the number of cases for each year.
| Year | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| 2004-05 | 4,942 |
| 2005-06 | 5,609 |
| 2006-07 | 10,658 |
| 2007-08 | 8,949 |
| 2008-09 | 6,694 |
| 2009-10 | 6,365 |
| 2010-11 | 5,506 |
| 2011-12 | 4,693 |
| 2012-13 | 4,356 |
| 2013-14 | 3,984 |
| 2014-15 | 3,743 |
| 2015-16 | 3,780 |
| 2016-17 | 4,092 |
| 2017-18 | 3,817 |
Source: Court Services Victoria, unpublished data.
