HIGHER COURTS
During 2017–18, there were 18,958 defendants finalised in the Higher Courts, an increase of 8% (1,337 defendants) on the previous year. (Table 1)
FIGURE 2: NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS FINALISED, Higher Courts, Method of finalisation, Principal sentence, 2017–18
![FIGURE 2: NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS FINALISED(a), Higher Courts, Method of finalisation, Principal sentence, 2017–18](/ausstats/abs@.nsf/0/fd01e2c6658aee9dca25851a00189001/Body/0.28E!OpenElement&FieldElemFormat=gif)
Australian Bureau of Statistics
© Commonwealth of Australia 2019.
Summary characteristics
Of all defendants finalised in the Higher Courts during 2017–18:
- 87% had their matter(s) adjudicated (16,508), most of whom were proven guilty (15,348)
- 11% had their matter(s) withdrawn by the prosecution (2,101)
- Over half were aged between 20 and 34 years (9,813)
- 86% were male (16,287), the highest proportional representation of males by court level. (Table 1)
Principal offence
During 2017–18, around three in five defendants finalised in the Higher Courts had a principal offence in the following offence categories – all of which increased from 2016–17:
- Deal or traffic illicit drug offences – 22% (4,245) – an increase of 9% (334)
- Assault – 19% (3,614) – an increase of 18% (541)
- Sexual assault and related offences – 18% (3,429) – an increase of 3% (92). This increase was mostly due to non-assaultive sexual offences, up by 13% (84) to 729 defendants. (Table 1)
Principal sentence
Of the 15,348 defendants with charges proven in the Higher Courts during 2017–18, the majority (71%, 10,904) were sentenced to custody in a correctional institution. (Table 7)
Of those sentenced to custody in a correctional institution:
- A majority (89%) were male
- The median sentence length1 was two and a half years. (Tables 9 and 57)
The principal offences most commonly sentenced to custody in a correctional institution in the Higher Courts were:
- Homicide and related offences (88%, 297 defendants)
- Dangerous/negligent acts (82%, 311 defendants)
- Robbery/extortion (82%, 1,171 defendants). (Table 10)
The number of defendants sentenced to custody in a correctional institution increased by 10% (1,000 defendants) during 2017–18. (Table 7)
Footnotes
1 Excluding life and indeterminate imprisonment (see Explanatory Note 48).