The declines are attributed to the Criminal Appeals Act of 1995 which enabled magistrates to re-examine cases and rectify mistakes without reference to the Crown Court. Of appeals against convictions in magistrate courts in 1996, 33 percent succeeded, down from 41 percent in 1995. About 19 percent of offenders convicted in the Crown Court appealed in both years. The Court of Appeal dealt with 8,900 cases in 1996, a rise of 9 percent. Appeals against conviction or conviction and sentence fell by 6 percent, while appeals only against sentence rose by 16 percent. The proportion of magistrate sentences resulting in an appeal declined from 1.3 percent in 1995 to 1 percent in 1996; 43 percent of appeals against sentences imposed in magistrate courts resulted in a reduced or quashed sentence in 1996, as opposed to 44 percent in 1995. Approximately 28 percent of appeals against conviction for violent offenses were allowed in 1996, compared to 3 percent for all offenses. 10 notes, 18 tables, and 3 figures