NCJ Number
204420
Date Published
September 2002
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This report documents the sentencing patterns for the 20 most common offenses addressed by the New South Wales (Australia) local courts in calendar year 2002 and compares the current trends and patterns with those found in a similar study in 1992.
Abstract
Six of the top 20 offenses in 2002 involved motor vehicle driving, licensing, and registration. Two of these offenses also appeared in the 1992 list (driving while disqualified, driving while license refused/cancelled). The 6 vehicle/licensing offenses accounted for 17,305 offenders (16.8 percent of all persons sentenced by the local courts in 2002). Three of the top 20 offenses were offenses against the person, accounting for 13,040 offenders (12.7 percent). These included common assault. Four of the 20 most common offenses in 2002 were property offenses, with all 4 also appearing in the 1992 list. The possession of a prohibited drug was in the seventh position on the 2002 list and fifth in the 1992 list. Two of the three remaining offenses were offensive language and offensive conduct. The local courts continue to rely on fines as the primary form of punishment, with just over half of all offenders being dealt with in this manner. The reliance on fines, however, has decreased somewhat in the past decade with the introduction of some new penalty options and an increase in the number of more serious cases that have come from the district court. 2 tables and 1 figure