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Scotland's Chief Statistician today published Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2008-09. This publication presents statistics on criminal proceedings concluded in Scottish courts during 2008-09 as well as information on motor vehicle offences and statistics on bail orders and offences.

The key findings of the statistics are:

• The number of custodial sentences imposed by courts was just under 16,900, one per cent up on 2007-08 and the highest figure recorded during the last 10 years.
• The average length of custodial sentences in 2008-09 was over eight and a half months, up (5 per cent) on the 2007-08 level and the highest figure in the last 10 years.
• For crimes of handling an offensive weapon, average custodial sentences rose by 21 per cent (to 263 days - over eight and a half months) and are now over double the level in 2005-06.
• 89 per cent of persons proceeded against in Scottish courts in 2008-09 were convicted. The total number convicted decreased by 6 per cent to 125,400, a fall consistent with the principle aim of Summary Justice Reform, that fewer cases go to court needlessly and more are dealt with by non-court actions where it is more appropriate to do so.
• The use of financial penalties declined by 12 per cent between 2007-08 and 2008-09 to 73,700, however the majority (59 per cent) of all convictions still resulted in a financial penalty.
• The number of convictions resulting in a community sentence was 17,800, 7 per cent higher than in 2007-08.
• The number of persons with a charge proved for lewd and indecent behaviour and for crimes against public justice rose, respectively, by 34 per cent (to 333) and by 8 per cent (to 8,700). There were similar increases in the number of persons prosecuted for these offences.
• The peak age for conviction for males was 18, with 6 per cent of 18 year old males in Scotland convicted of a crime or relevant offence on at least one occasion during 2008-09.
• However, the statistics show an ageing offending population last year. In 2007-08, 21 per cent of offenders were under age of 21, in 2008-09 it was 19 per cent. In 2007-08, 43 per cent of offenders were over the age of 30, in 2008-09 it was up to 45 per cent.
• 19 per cent of offences with a charge proved in 2008-09 were committed while the offender was on bail. This is an increase of two percentage point from 2007-08.
• Of the 50,400 individuals convicted at least once in 2008-09, 66 per cent had at least one previous conviction in the previous ten years.

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