Characteristics of CCOs imposed as principal sentences The increased number of offenders who received a CCO as a principal sentence in 2015 compared with previous years was accompanied by three important changes in the offence profile, offender demographics, and conditions and duration of CCOs imposed. First, the age of offenders who received a CCO increased. Between 2012 and 2015, the percentage of offenders aged 25 years and over who received a CCO increased in the higher courts (from 50.9% to 69.0%) and in the Magistrates’ Court (from 68.9% to 75.7%). Second, CCOs became longer, and CCO conditions became more intensive. In the Magistrates’ Court, there was a steady increase in the duration of CCOs imposed between 2012 and 2015: the mean duration increased from 11.7 months to 12.8 months. Further, between 2014 and 2015, there was a substantial increase in the percentage of CCOs that included a supervision condition (from 28.8% to 49.7%). However, there was no increase in the use of unpaid community work, and new conditions such as curfews and electronic monitoring continued to be used infrequently. In the higher courts, the duration of CCOs increased between 2014 and 2015: the mean rose from 2.0 years to 2.3 years. Compared with the January 2012 to June 2013 period, the May 2015 to December 2015 period saw increases in the use of supervision, unpaid community work (including increases in the number of hours offenders were required to work), and a number of other conditions. Third, the offence profile of offenders who received a CCO shifted modestly away from non-sexual violent offences. In the Magistrates’ Court in 2015, CCOs continued to be imposed most frequently for assault (30.7%), traffic (19.2%), and theft and deception (13.8%) offences; however, there was a small shift away from assault offences towards traffic and weapons offences between 2014 and 2015. In the higher courts in 2015, CCOs were most commonly imposed for assault (30.8%), sexual offences (20.9%), and robbery and burglary offences (19.6%); however, there was a shift away from assault and robbery offences towards theft and deception offences.
Characteristics of CCOs imposed as principal sentences The increased number of offenders who received a CCO as a principal sentence in 2015 compared with previous years was accompanied by three important changes in the offence profile, offender demographics, and conditions and duration of CCOs imposed. First, the age of offenders who received a CCO increased. Between 2012 and 2015, the percentage of offenders aged 25 years and over who received a CCO increased in the higher courts (from 50.9% to 69.0%) and in the Magistrates’ Court (from 68.9% to 75.7%). Second, CCOs became longer, and CCO conditions became more intensive. In the Magistrates’ Court, there was a steady increase in the duration of CCOs imposed between 2012 and 2015: the mean duration increased from 11.7 months to 12.8 months. Further, between 2014 and 2015, there was a substantial increase in the percentage of CCOs that included a supervision condition (from 28.8% to 49.7%). However, there was no increase in the use of unpaid community work, and new conditions such as curfews and electronic monitoring continued to be used infrequently. In the higher courts, the duration of CCOs increased between 2014 and 2015: the mean rose from 2.0 years to 2.3 years. Compared with the January 2012 to June 2013 period, the May 2015 to December 2015 period saw increases in the use of supervision, unpaid community work (including increases in the number of hours offenders were required to work), and a number of other conditions. Third, the offence profile of offenders who received a CCO shifted modestly away from non-sexual violent offences. In the Magistrates’ Court in 2015, CCOs continued to be imposed most frequently for assault (30.7%), traffic (19.2%), and theft and deception (13.8%) offences; however, there was a small shift away from assault offences towards traffic and weapons offences between 2014 and 2015. In the higher courts in 2015, CCOs were most commonly imposed for assault (30.8%), sexual offences (20.9%), and robbery and burglary offences (19.6%); however, there was a shift away from assault and robbery offences towards theft and deception offences.