Abstract
The report contains the most up-to-date national figures available on crime and the criminal justice system, or the most representative state figures where national figures are not available. It tries to answer such questions as: How much crime is there? Who does it affect? When and where does it happen? Who are the major offenders? How does the criminal justice system - the police, the courts and corrective services - react to crime? What happens to convicted offenders? What does it all cost?
Contents
- The criminal event
- Australian system of justice
- What is crime?
- Other common crimes
- How serious are various types of crimes?
- Main sources of national crime statistics
- How much crime is there?
- What are the trends in crime?
- Where do most crimes occur?
- What is the involvement of weapons in crime?
- The victim
- Identifying the victims - Crime Victims Survey
- The relationship between victims and offenders
- How does crime affect its victims?
- Non-reporting of crimes to police
- Compensation available for the victims of crime
- The offender
- Who commits crime and why?
- Who is the typical offender?
- What is the role of youth in crime?
- Career criminals
- How many offenders are female?
- Characteristics of proven offenders
- The response to crime
- An overview
- Entry into the criminal justice system
- The relationship between police strength and crime
- The arrest process
- The crime clearance rate
- Prosecution and adjudication
- Sentencing and punishment
- Objectives of sentencing
- Current sentencing alternatives
- The main characteristics of people under supervision
- How is time served in prison determined?
- Overcrowding in Australian prison systems
- What are the trends in correctional populations?
- The assessment of post-correctional performance
- Juvenile offenders
- The cost of justice
- How much does government spend on justice?
- State government responsibility for justice
- Commonwealth government responsibilities
- How does the government pay for the cost of the justice system?
- Personnel costs
- What do prisons and correctional programs cost?
- What factors are related to state government per capita spending?
- References and sources of data