NCJ Number
146805
Date Published
1993
Length
152 pages
Annotation
This report contains offense, sentencing, court, and police statistics for New Zealand that cover the 1983-1992 period.
Abstract
The total number of prosecutions for nontraffic offenses was higher in 1992 than in any of the six years since 1986. In each year between 1986 and 1990, about 70 percent of all prosecutions resulted in convictions; the proportion in 1992 (67 percent) was slightly lower. The total number of convictions for violent offenses was higher in 1992 than in any of the past 10 years. There was a considerable increase in the number of convictions for violent sex offenses and in the number of serious violent offenses. The most serious assault category, injuring or wounding, showed a steadily increasing trend between 1983 and 1992; the 1992 figure of 356 was 121 percent higher than the 1983 figure of 161. In 1991 and 1992, property offenses accounted for 51 percent of all convictions for nontraffic offenses. Most convictions for drug offenses involved using or dealing in cannabis. The use of custodial, community-based, and deferred sentences increased over the period, while the use of monetary penalties declined. After the Children, Young Persons, and Their Families Act was introduced in 1989, the number of cases involving young offenders dropped sharply from 7,236 in 1989 to 1,887 in 1990. Statistics are also provided on the proportion of prison sentences served and the police pretrial diversion scheme. Appendixes identify recent publications of New Zealand's Department of Justice and changes in procedures for offense classification. 5 references, 93 tables, and 10 figures