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Definitions of key data variables
Date of incident
Date incident commenced, including day of the week.
Time of incident
Time incident commenced.
Type of offence
Type of offence.
Number of alleged offenders
Number of alleged offenders involved in incident.
Number of victims
Number of victims involved in incident.
Number of alleged offences
Number of alleged offences involved in incident.
Type of weapon
Type of weapon used during incident. A weapon is defined as any object used to cause injury or fear of injury. It also includes imitation weapons and implied weapons (e.g. where a weapon is not seen by the victim but the offender claims to possess one).
Type of location
Location at which an incident commences and concludes. The type of location is determined on the basis of use or function. Locations which are multi-functional are usually categorised according to their primary function.
Geographic location
Geographic location of the incident, according to SACC and ASGC.
Date of birth
Date of birth of a person.
Sex
Sex of a person.
Country of birth
The country a person identifies as being the one in which he or she was born.
Cultural/ethnic group
Cultural/ethnic identity of a person. The key factor in defining an ethnic group is that the group regards itself, and is regarded by others, as a distinct community by virtue of certain characteristics.
Indigenous status
Indigenous status of a person. A person of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander descent is defined as someone who identifies as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and is accepted as such by the community in which he or she lives.
Marital status
Marital status of a person. This relationship is identified by the presence of a registered or de facto marriage. A marriage exists when two people live together as a couple.
Educational status
Educational status of a person. This is determined by the level and field of educational activities.
Family type
Family type of a person. A family is defined as two or more related people who usually live together.
Household type
Household type of a person. Household is defined as a group of two or more related or unrelated people who usually reside in the same dwelling, who regard themselves as a household and who make common provision for food or other essentials for living; or a person living in a dwelling who makes provision for his or her own food and other essentials for living, without combining with any other person.
Labour force (employment) status
Labour force (employment) status of a person. Employment status is determined by establishing whether a person aged 15 or over is employed, unemployed or not in the labour force (according to the relevant definitions).
Occupation
Occupation of a person. Occupation refers to the main job held by a person, defined as the job in which the person works the most hours.
Income
Income of a person. Income is defined as those receipts accruing (in cash and in-kind) that are of a regular and recurring nature, and are received by the household or its members at annual or more frequent intervals.
Type of relationship of offender to victim
The relationship of offender to victim according to the victim's perception of the relationship. In instances involving multiple offenders, the offender identified by the victim, or reporting officer, as the primary offender is used for determining the relationship of offender to victim.
Number of previous convictions
Number of previous convictions of (each) alleged offender(s).
Number of previous imprisonments
Number of previous imprisonments of (each) alleged offender(s).
Number of experiences of crime
Number of experiences of crime across the lifetime and during the previous 12 month period of a person.
Degree of physical injury
Degree of physical injury, if any, sustained by a person during the incident.
Degree of non-physical injury
Degree of non-physical injury, if any, sustained by a person during the incident.
Involvement of drugs
Involvement of drugs (illicit and/or prescription) in the incident. This can be defined in a number of ways; eg, whether the offender and/or victim was under the influence of drugs during the incident.
Involvement of alcohol
Involvement of alcohol in the incident. This can be defined in a number of ways; eg, whether the offence was committed to support an alcohol addiction.
Whether the incident was reported
Whether an incident was reported to the police or other authority.
Main reason for not reporting the incident
A person's main reason for not reporting an incident to the police or other authority.
Perceptions of safety
A person's perception of safety at home, in their neighbourhood, and on public transport.
Perceptions of crime and/or incivility problems
Whether or not a person has any awareness of crime and/or incivility problems ('problem' and the degree thereof being self-defined concepts) in his/her neighbourhood ('neighbourhood' also being a self-defined concept).
Steps taken to protect home from crime
Steps taken to protect home from criminal incidents.
Degree of satisfaction with CJS services
Degree of a person's satisfaction with delivery of police, courts and corrections services in terms of efficiency, effectiveness, and integrity.
Whether the incident is recorded
Whether a reported incident is recorded by the responsible DIRC agency.
Date incident recorded
Date incident recorded by the responsible DIRC agency.
Time incident recorded
Time incident recorded by the responsible DIRC agency.
Recording agency/official
Name of DIRC agency and/or official that creates the incident report
Method of initiation of initial investigation
Method by which incident is brought to the attention of the DIRC agency.
Start date of initial investigation
Date on which investigation of criminal allegations is initiated.
End date of initial investigation
Date on which investigation of criminal allegations is completed.
Duration of initial investigation
Difference between 'End date of initial investigation' and 'Start date of initial investigation,' in days.
Method of finalisation of initial investigation
Method of finalisation of initial investigation.
Outcome of initial investigation
Determination of whether or not (a) criminal offence(s) has/have taken place.
Method of initiation of full investigation
Method of initiation of full investigation.
Start date of full investigation
Date on which investigation of criminal incident (including one or more offences) is initiated.
End date of full investigation
Date on which investigation of criminal incident (including one or more offences) is completed.
Duration of full investigation
Difference between 'End date of full investigation' and 'Start date of full investigation,' in days.
Method of finalisation of full investigation
Method of finalisation of full investigation.
Outcome of (full) investigation at 7 days
The stage an investigation has reached after a period of 7 days has elapsed since the recording of the incident by police or other DIRC agency.
Outcome of (full) investigation at 30 days
The stage an investigation has reached after a period of 30 days has elapsed since the recording of the incident by police or other DIRC agency.
Bail status
Whether granted bail at apprehension and/or committal to a higher court.
Type of bail
Type of bail granted.
Time held awaiting bail
Number of hours in custody, including whether overnight.
Where detained awaiting bail
Location at which a person is detained whilst awaiting bail.
Method of initiation of charge/court case
The method of initiation describes the process which leads to the introduction of a criminal charge within a court so that it becomes a new item of work to be dealt with by that court.
Start date ( = Date of initiation) of charge/court case
Date on which a defendant is regarded as having started within the courts as a new item of work.
Agency initiating court proceedings/ laying charge
This procedure is usually the responsibility of the Public Prosecutor, but can be carried out by other prosecuting agencies as well.
End date of charge/court case ( = Date of finalisation)
Date on which all charges laid against a defendant are regarded as formally completed by the courts, and the defendant ceases to be an active unit of work to be dealt with by the courts. Finalisation will only occur when the last charge for the defendant has been finalised by the court and there are no further hearings scheduled for the defendant at that court level.
Duration of charge/court case
Difference between 'End date of charge/court case' and 'Start date of charge/court case,' in days.
Type of charge/court case
Type of allegation laid before a court by the police or other prosecuting agency that a person or corporation has committed a criminal offence.
Level of court
Court levels can be distinguished from one another on the basis of the extent of their legal powers. Lower courts are known by different names in different States and Territories, including Magistrate's Court, Court of Summary Jurisdiction, etc. Court levels in the higher courts system include the Intermediate Courts and (state) Supreme Courts.
Method of finalisation of charge/court case
Process which leads to the completion of a criminal charge within a court so that it ceases to be an item of work within that court.
Outcome of charge/court case
Outcome of charge/court case.
Start date of hearing
Start date of hearing.
End date of hearing
End date of hearing.
Duration of hearing
Difference between 'Start date of hearing' and 'End date of hearing,' in days.
Type of hearing
Type of hearing.
Method of finalisation of hearing
Method of finalisation of hearing.
Outcome of hearing
Outcome of hearing.
(Start) date of plea
Date on which defendant's plea is entered.
Type of plea
Type of initial formal statement by, or on behalf of, the defendant in response to a criminal charge that has been laid in a court, the nature of which indicates whether or not the defendant intends to contest that charge.
Type of penalty
Type of directions or orders issued by a judicial officer or law enforcement officer which are imposed as a consequence of a person or organisation being accused of committing an offence or being proven guilty of committing an offence.
Quantity of penalty
Amount (in time or monetary restitution) of penalty imposed.
Method of initiation of community-based order (CBO)
Method of initiation of CBO.
Start date of CBO
Start date of CBO.
End date of CBO
End date of CBO.
Duration of CBO
Duration of CBO.
Type of CBO
A legislative or administrative set of constraints and directions applied by a court, and administered by a Corrective Service Agency. Orders may be custodial, or they may constrain a person from certain activities and associations, or direct a person to carry out certain activities, while remaining in the community.
Method of finalisation of CBO
Method of finalisation of CBO.
Outcome of CBO
Outcome of CBO.
Method of initiation of detention ( = Type of reception)
The method under which the prisoner was originally received into a gazetted prison in a State/Territory for the current episode, regardless of legal status changes since that date and regardless of any authorised or unauthorised temporary leave of absence.
Start date of detention ( = Date of reception)
The date the prisoner was originally received into a gazetted prison in a State/Territory for the current episode, regardless of legal status changes since that date and regardless of any authorised or unauthorised temporary leave of absence.
End date of detention
Date of release from detention.
Duration of detention
Actual and expected time served in a custodial facility may differ for a variety of reasons, depending on the State/Territory in which the prisoner is sentenced/held (eg, States/Territories have different methods of calculating release dates and different forms of parole; therefore, actual time served will vary accordingly).
Type of sentence
A sentence consists of a penalty or punishment imposed by a court upon a defendant who is proven guilty of a criminal offence. The legal status (sentenced or unsentenced) of an offender reflects the warrant(s) or court order(s) which provide the legal basis for the detention in custody of the offender.
Aggregate sentence
The aggregate sentence is the longest period that the offender may be detained under sentence in the current episode. Charges pending which are likely to extend the current episode are ignored. In States and Territories where a new episode is counted when a person returns to prison from parole, the unexpired portion of the prior episode is usually incorporated into the aggregate sentence for the new episode.
Expected time to serve
The expected time to serve is the period of imprisonment which a convicted prisoner is expected to serve and in most cases refers to the time elapsed between the date of reception for this episode and the earliest date of release.
Type of prison/correctional centre
Type of prison/correctional centre in terms of such features as security level, security classifications of prisoners, management status (public, private), and design capacity.
Method of finalisation of detention
Method of finalisation of detention.
Outcome of detention
Outcome of detention.
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