NCJ Number
124776
Date Published
1989
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Data on crimes, formal cautions issued by police, and court sentences in England and Wales form the basis of this analysis of the variability of all these factors both within and between geographic areas.
Abstract
The discussion emphasizes that crime statistics reflect reporting patterns rather than actual crimes and that only cleared crimes produce offenders available for punishment. In England and Wales, the police caution is an official precourt sanction in that it consists of a formal, recorded warning to an offender. Police forces vary widely in their use of cautioning, which appears to reflect agency policies rather than offense patterns. However, cautioning does reflect offender age and gender. Similarly, wide variations exist between magistrates courts in their sentencing practices, even in courts in the same geographic area. In addition, courts are generally unaware of the practices of other courts and consider such knowledge irrelevant to their own decisions. Furthermore, factors such as an offender's employment status appear to affect sentences strongly. Thus, the data suggest that differences in penalties are more a reflection of differences in the perceptions and practices of criminal justice officials than of crime patterns. Tables and 25 references.