NCJ Number
227657
Date Published
2009
Length
123 pages
Annotation
This annual report for 2008 is a compendium of information on trends and patterns in crime and criminal justice in Australia.
Abstract
It addresses various types of recorded crime, their locations, and the characteristics of victims and offenders. Data are provided on case processing and outcomes, as well as government expenditure on the criminal justice system. The most common crime was theft, excluding the theft of motor vehicles, with approximately half a million victims in 2007; assault was the most common violent crime (176,427 victims in 2007). The majority of offenders were male. The most common sentence was a fine. Although recorded crime data show that property crimes continue to decline, rates of recorded assault and sexual assault continue to increase. Prison populations have increased again, with 27,244 persons in prison on June 30, 2007; the number serving community correctional orders has remained relatively stable; on any given day in 2006-07, 52,658 persons were serving such orders. Australia's recurrent expenditure on the criminal justice system in 2006-07 was approximately $9 billion, with 47,402 sworn State and Territory police officers. Although the availability of national statistics on major crimes continues to improve, national data on offenders and emerging crimes, such as cybercrime, remain unavailable. 12 tables, 100 figures, and 27 references