NCJ Number
176633
Date Published
1998
Length
247 pages
Annotation
Arrests made in England and Wales between late 1993 and early 1994 were surveyed to examine the filtering process following arrest and determine whether arrested persons were prosecuted or cautioned and to develop a profile of persons in policy custody.
Abstract
The survey was conducted at 10 police stations, and information was collected about 4,250 detainees using direct observations, documentary sources, and questionnaires. Information was also provided by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) about its decisions on whether to proceed with prosecution and about eventual court outcomes for prosecuted cases. Eighty-five percent of those arrested were male, and 15 percent were juveniles. About 2 percent of detainees were treated by the police as mentally disordered, and more than 60 percent of suspects had previous convictions. About 87 percent were arrested on suspicion of committing offenses, while most of the remaining arrestees were held on warrant, as a place of safety, or in transmit between prison and court. Ethnic differences were observed in reasons for arrest, reactive policing accounted for nearly 75 percent of arrests, and eyewitness evidence was the most common source of evidence available at the time of arrest. About 6 percent of suspects were arrested for domestic violence offenses, 16 percent of detainees appeared to be under the influence of alcohol or drugs, 38 percent of suspects requested legal advice, and about half of suspects admitted guilt when interviewed. Suspects were detained on average for nearly 7 hours prior to charge or release. Overall, 52 percent of suspects were charged, 20 percent had no further action taken, 17 percent were cautioned, and the remaining 13 percent were dealt with in various other ways. Approximately 28 percent of those charged were refused bail, and the risk of failure to appear in court was most often cited as a reason for refusing bail. In 94 percent of cases, the CPS indicated there was sufficient evidence on file to determine whether it was appropriate to proceed on both evidential and public interest grounds. More than 90 percent of cases forwarded for prosecution were dealt with in magistrate courts and 9 percent were dealt with in the Crown Court. Of those arrested, 40 percent were eventually convicted. Appendixes contain additional survey data and information on survey methods and offense classification. References, tables, and figures