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Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 1998

NCJ Number
182539
Date Published
1999
Length
21 pages
Annotation
In presenting 1998 statistics on criminal proceedings in Scottish courts, this bulletin addresses types of offenses involved, sentencing outcomes, and the characteristics of defendants.
Abstract
In 1998 the total number of persons involved in court proceedings was 159,200, an 8-percent decrease from the previous year and a continuation of the gradual decline from the total of 200,900 in 1991. Decreases in the number of persons processed occurred in all broad crime groups, except for crimes of indecency, which increased 8 percent to 1,500. This reflected an increase of 29 percent for persons charged with prostitution. Eighty-eight percent of the defendants had at least one charge proved against them or a guilty plea accepted, yielding 139,800 convictions. The number of persons convicted for drug offenses totaled 6,900, similar to the 1997 figure but three times the number convicted in 1988. The number of custodial sentences imposed in 1998 was 15,900 (down 2 percent). Eighty-three percent of custodial sentences were for 6 months or less. The average length of determinate custodial sentences in 1998 was 220 days, slightly below the 1997 figure of 227 days, but 16 percent higher than the 1988 average of 189 days. A total of 5,300 convictions resulted in a community service order, an 8-percent decrease from 1997; the number of cases receiving a probation order was 7,100, a 5-percent increase. Sixty-eight percent of convictions resulted in a fine as the main penalty, compared with 69 percent in 1997 and 78 percent in 1988. The average fine imposed was 176 pounds. The peak age for conviction in 1998 remained at 18 years old. Eight percent of 18-year-old males in the Scottish population were convicted for a crime. 15 tables

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