The data revealed that the number of criminal cases disposed of by the local courts increased by 8.2 percent from 102,673 cases in 1995 to 111,045 cases in 1996. A total of 52,219 finalized charges were for traffic law offenses, 32,340 charges were for theft offenses, and 24,490 charges were for offenses against the person. Most major offense categories had increases between 1995 and 1996. The proportion of offenses proven remained stable; 82.7 percent were proven in 1995 and 82.9 percent were proven in 1996. Imprisonment was imposed on 6.3 percent of the persons found guilty in 1996, compared with 6.5 percent in 1995 and 6.1 percent in 1994. Offenses with the highest imprisonment rates included drug dealing, breaking and entering, motor vehicle theft, sex offenses against children, and breaches of order. Fines were imposed in 60 percent of the cases, community service orders in 5.4 percent of the cases, and recognizance for 20.3 percent of the cases. The majority of persons found guilty were ages 20-39 years. Approximately 16 percent were female. The total number of criminal matters disposed of by the children's courts increased by 3.4 percent from 14,269 in 1994-95 to 14,759 in 1995-96. Tables and appended background information