NCJ Number
242562
Date Published
May 2013
Length
46 pages
Annotation
This report presents data on Victoria's prison population (Australia) for the 10-year period 2002-2012.
Abstract
These trend data show that Victoria's prison population and imprisonment rate have continued to increase, even though the overall crime rate has decreased; however, offenses against the person, offenses against good order, and drug offenses have increased. Victoria's court data also show that these are the principal offenses for which convictions were obtained. In the higher courts, the custody rate in sentencing has increased, along with average sentence lengths imposed in both the higher courts and the Magistrates' Court. The proportion of offenders receiving a sentence length of 12 months or less has decreased. This report suggests that the increases in Victoria's prison population between 2002 and 2012 are similarly due to a combination of increased lengths of prison sentences and increases in the occurrence of the particular offense types noted. 30 figures, 1 table, and 58 references