In 2000, there were 1,911,600 completed proceedings at magistrates’ courts, a 1 percent increase from 1999. This increase was due primarily to a 12 percent rise in summary non-motoring offenses. For 2000, 95,300 defendants had completed proceedings at the Crown Court, a 2 percent drop compared to 1999. In 2000, 326,000 offenders, 66 percent, were found guilty of indictable offenses, a 1 percent drop from 1999. This decrease represents more not guilty pleas and a higher acquittal rate at the Crown Court. The number of offenders cautioned, reprimanded, or given final warnings for all offenses, excluding motoring offenses, fell to 239,000, a drop of 10 percent from 1999. The number of males and females cautioned fell by 11 and 7 percent, respectively. The number of offenders cautioned for indictable offenses dropped by 12 percent compared to 1999, and the cautioning rate, the number of offenders cautioned for indictable offenses as a percentage of those found guilty or cautioned, fell to 32 percent, a drop of 1.6 percent from 1999. The drop in the cautioning rate fell both males and females, for all age groups, and across nearly all indictable offense groups. Recent trends in sentencing of indictable offenses continued for 2000, with less use of fines and discharges at magistrates’ courts and more use of custody at both courts. Community sentences were used more in magistrates’ courts, particularly for juveniles. The number of persons sentenced at magistrates’ courts fell by 1 percent, to 1,350,000, while the number sentenced for indictable offenses fell by 5 percent, the number sentenced for summary motoring offenses fell by 4 percent, and the number sentenced for summary non-motoring offenses rose by 13 percent. The number of defendants sentenced at the Crown Court fell by 4 percent, to 71,100 in 2000. The number of defendants receiving community sentences at all courts increased by 3 percent compared to 1999. The custody rate for indictable offenses was 14 percent at the magistrates’ courts and 64 percent at the Crown Court. The introduction of detention and training orders for 12- to 17-year-olds led to increased average custodial sentence lengths for both the Crown Court and magistrates’ courts. Tables and figures