Part 1, "Volume of Crime," provides statistics on crimes known to police for 1997 for the following categories of major offenses: homicide, assault, sexual assault, robbery, unlawful entry with intent, motor vehicle theft, and other theft. Of these selected crime categories, "other theft," which includes offenses such as pickpocketing, purse snatching, and stock stealing, was the most commonly recorded crime, with 529,345 offenses recorded (43 percent of the total). Property theft offenses accounted for approximately 88 percent of the seven major crimes; assault was the most commonly recorded violent crime. Data on crime location are also reported in Part 1. Part 2 provides selected crime profiles for the seven categories of offenses. For each type of offense, data are provided on the number reported to police in 1997, location, victims (age and gender), trend over the last several years, and other information specific to the type of offense. In Part 3, information and data on Australia's criminal courts covers the structure of the criminal courts and the criminal court process (case flows, lodgments, hearings, timeliness, court decisions, defendants, and sentencing). Part 4 presents information and data on corrections in Australia, with attention to the number of persons under corrective services, prisons, and deaths in custody. Part 5 features information and data on criminal justice resources, including overall justice expenditures and a breakdown by police, court administration, and correction services. 13 references