It is intended as a quick reference that provides the reader with an overview of such matters as types of offenses recorded, cases appearing before the criminal courts, and prison populations. The first major section is on crime. It presents a discussion on the measurement of crime, followed by information on the nature of and data from crime victim surveys. Information on crimes known to the police addresses the types of offenses recorded by police, crime location, and clearance rates for various offenses. A major section on selected offense profiles presents data and information on drug offenses, homicide, aggravated assault, sexual assault, household burglary, robbery, and motor vehicle theft. A third major section focuses on criminal courts. It includes information and data on the structure of the court system in New South Wales, trends in criminal court appearances for 1988-93, the age distribution of offenders and the general population, court workload, court delay, bail, pleas, proven offender rates, appeals, sentencing, imprisonment, and life sentences. Data and information on prisons encompasses the legal status of prisoners, prison population by offense, inmate gender and age, inmate aboriginality, and prior imprisonment. The concluding section presents information and statistics on the cost of criminal justice. 28 references and a list of recent reports by the Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research