VICTORIA

DEFENDANTS FINALISED

In 2016–17, there were 118,833 defendants finalised in Victoria’s criminal courts, an increase of 2,845 defendants (2%) on the previous year. (Table 19)

The rate of defendants finalised was 2,132 per 100,000 persons aged 10 years and over. (Table 49)


Defendants finalised in Victoria comprised 20% of all defendants finalised nationally. This was the third largest contributing state or territory after Queensland (28%) and New South Wales (26%). (Tables 2 and 19)

PRINCIPAL OFFENCE

Three out of five defendants finalised in Victoria in 2016–17 had a principal offence of:

• Traffic and vehicle regulatory offences (40% or 47,915);
• Acts intended to cause injury (13% or 15,896); or
• Theft and related offences (9% or 10,311). (Table 2)

Between 2015–16 and 2016–17 the number of defendants with a principal offence of:

• Offences against justice procedures, government security and government operations increased by 17% (1,098);
• Property damage and environmental pollution increased by 11% (371);
• Acts intended to cause injury increased by 9% (1,367); and
• Sexual assault and related offences increased by 9% (128). (Table 19)

Over the same period, slight decreases occurred amongst defendants finalised for:

• Theft and related offences (down 2% or 244); and
• Illicit drug offences (down 1% or 67). (Table 19)

COURT LEVEL

In 2016–17, the number of defendants finalised in Victoria’s:

• Higher Courts decreased by 2% (44), contrasting a national increase of 10%;
• Magistrates’ Courts increased by 2% (2,244); and
• Children’s Courts increased by 12% (639), the largest increase for this court level of all the states and territories.

Despite the increase in the Children’s Courts, Victoria had the lowest proportion of defendants finalised between the ages of 10 and 19 years in 2016–17 (8% or 9,532). (Tables 1, 2 and 15 to 43)

METHOD OF FINALISATION

In 2016–17, 87% (103,337) of defendants finalised in Victoria’s criminal courts had their matter(s) adjudicated. Almost all of these defendants (103,021) were proven guilty. Nine in ten (89% or 92,426) defendants who were proven guilty had entered a guilty plea. (Table 19)

PRINCIPAL SENTENCE

Of the 103,021 defendants who were proven guilty in 2016–17:

• 92% (94,923) were sentenced to a non-custodial order: and
• 8% (8,080) were sentenced to a custodial order, most commonly (89% or 7,191) custody in a correctional institution. (Table 19)

In 2016–17, the number of defendants who were sentenced to a custodial order increased by 7% (495). (Table 19)

The median sentence length for defendants sentenced to custody in a correctional institution (excluding those sentenced to life or indeterminate) was 4 months. (Table 57d)

OTHER KEY POINTS

In 2016–17:

• The median age of defendants finalised in Victoria was 34 years.
• Almost three-quarters (74% or 87,378) of defendants finalised were male.
• Victoria had the highest proportion of defendants that were organisations (2% or 2,649) in 2016–17.
• Community service orders had a median sentence length of 100 hours.
• The median amount given for a fine was $530. (Tables 2, 58 and 59)