Prosecutions and convictions

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Last updated 11 October 2017 - see all updates

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1. Main facts and figures

  • since 2009, the proportion of convictions compared to prosecutions - known as the 'Conviction Ratio', for indictable-only or 'either way' offences has increased for all ethnic groups

  • in 2016, the Conviction Ratio for Black, Asian, Mixed, and Chinese and Other ethnic groups was 81%

  • in 2016, the White ethnic group had the highest Conviction Ratio, at 86%

Things you need to know

The data compares the number of defendants prosecuted and convicted within a particular year.

Prosecutions are counted in the year that case is completed at magistrates' courts, where all criminal cases are initially prosecuted. Convictions are counted in the year the case is completed where the offender is convicted, which may be the magistrates' court or Crown Court.

Nearly all criminal cases start in the magistrates’ courts. Prosecutions for indictable-only offences, and for ‘either way’ offences where the defendant has chosen to have a jury trial or where the magistrates' feel the case is of sufficient seriousness, are passed from there to the Crown Court.

If a prosecution begins in a magistrates’ court and moves to the Crown Court, the prosecution and conviction may fall in different years. This means that for a given year the number of convictions may be greater than the number of prosecutions. Defendants who appear before both courts may be convicted at Crown Court for a different offence to the one for which they were originally prosecuted.

Defendants are also classified by age group. Adults are aged 18 and over, and juveniles are under the age of 18.

What the data measures

The data gives the number of defendants found guilty within a given year for a certain offence, as a percentage of the defendants who were prosecuted that year for the same offence. This is referred to as the 'Conviction Ratio'.

There are three broad types of offence:

  • indictable-only offences, such as murder, rape or robbery, which can only be heard in the Crown Court
  • offences that are triable either way, which means they can be heard in either a magistrates’ court or in the Crown Court, and include offences like theft from shops and handling stolen goods
  • summary offences, such as speeding and TV licence evasion, which are heard in a magistrates’ court

This data only measures indictable-only offences and offences that are triable either way (also called ‘either way’ offences).

The ethnic categories used in this data

Where possible, this data uses the standardised ethnic groups based on the 2001 census:

  • Asian/Asian British
  • Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
  • Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
  • White
  • Other ethnic group (which includes Chinese)

There is also a ‘not stated’ category, which is made up of people whose ethnicity has not been recorded or who chose not to state their ethnicity.

2. Conviction Ratio by ethnicity

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2009 to 2016
Source:
Criminal justice statistics
Conviction Ratios by ethnicity
Year Ethnicity % Prosecutions Convictions
2009 All 79 414,659 328,449
2009 Asian 72 19,171 13,759
2009 Black 73 32,453 23,581
2009 Chinese and other 74 5,134 3,799
2009 Mixed 71 11,592 8,237
2009 Not stated 91 52,229 47,588
2009 White 79 294,080 231,485
2010 All 80 436,932 349,832
2010 Asian 76 20,557 15,714
2010 Black 76 34,725 26,403
2010 Chinese and other 82 5,235 4,288
2010 Mixed 75 12,817 9,645
2010 Not stated 77 45,600 35,311
2010 White 81 317,998 258,471
2011 All 81 422,858 343,052
2011 Asian 78 20,164 15,750
2011 Black 79 33,826 26,572
2011 Chinese and other 81 4,896 3,969
2011 Mixed 77 12,581 9,742
2011 Not stated 74 45,716 33,792
2011 White 83 305,675 253,227
2012 All 82 375,864 308,111
2012 Asian 78 17,745 13,895
2012 Black 79 29,153 23,051
2012 Chinese and other 83 4,193 3,470
2012 Mixed 78 10,839 8,497
2012 Not stated 74 45,633 33,772
2012 White 84 268,301 225,426
2013 All 80 369,495 293,807
2013 Asian 73 18,005 13,215
2013 Black 76 28,728 21,858
2013 Chinese and other 82 4,156 3,407
2013 Mixed 76 10,542 7,979
2013 Not stated 74 47,207 34,781
2013 White 82 260,857 212,567
2014 All 80 354,137 282,568
2014 Asian 74 16,736 12,437
2014 Black 77 27,045 20,755
2014 Chinese and other 80 3,627 2,895
2014 Mixed 76 9,630 7,299
2014 Not stated 75 49,890 37,563
2014 White 82 247,209 201,619
2015 All 82 322,329 265,812
2015 Asian 78 15,426 11,972
2015 Black 80 25,005 19,903
2015 Chinese and other 84 3,399 2,870
2015 Mixed 77 9,196 7,121
2015 Not stated 78 52,005 40,763
2015 White 84 217,298 183,183
2016 All 84 291,725 245,379
2016 Asian 81 14,716 11,845
2016 Black 81 25,000 20,148
2016 Chinese and other 81 3,077 2,501
2016 Mixed 81 7,615 6,184
2016 Not stated 81 55,914 45,252
2016 White 86 185,403 159,449

Download table data for ‘Conviction Ratio by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Conviction Ratio by ethnicity’ (CSV)

Summary of Prosecutions and convictions Conviction Ratio by ethnicity Summary

This data shows that:

  • since 2009, the Conviction Ratio has increased for all ethnic groups, from 79% in 2009 to 84% in 2016

  • although the Conviction Ratio has increased since 2009, the total number of prosecutions and convictions has decreased; prosecutions fell from 437,000 in 2010 to 292,000 in 2016 (around 30% fewer), while convictions fell from 350,000 in 2010 to 245,000 in 2016 (around 25% fewer)

  • in 2016, White defendants had the highest Conviction Ratio, at 86%

  • in 2016, the Conviction Ratio for Black, Asian, Mixed, and Chinese and Other ethnic groups was 81%

3. Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and gender

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2009 to 2016
Source:
Criminal justice statistics
Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and sex
Year Ethnicity Sex % Prosections Convictions
2009 Asian Female 72 1,174 840
2009 Black Female 76 3,888 2,953
2009 Chinese and other Female 77 729 564
2009 Mixed Female 70 1,738 1,221
2009 Not stated Female 84 10,324 8,626
2009 White Female 80 43,722 34,801
2009 Asian Male 72 17,964 12,905
2009 Black Male 72 28,463 20,577
2009 Chinese and other Male 74 4,387 3,225
2009 Mixed Male 71 9,832 7,001
2009 Not stated Male 96 39,112 37,434
2009 White Male 79 249,942 196,446
2009 Asian Not Known 42 33 14
2009 Black Not Known 50 102 51
2009 Chinese and other Not Known 56 18 10
2009 Mixed Not Known 68 22 15
2009 Not stated Not Known 55 2,793 1,528
2009 White Not Known 57 416 238
2010 Asian Female 73 1,301 945
2010 Black Female 74 4,201 3,127
2010 Chinese and other Female 78 773 602
2010 Mixed Female 75 1,856 1,392
2010 Not stated Female 77 9,408 7,243
2010 White Female 81 46,948 37,805
2010 Asian Male 77 19,221 14,755
2010 Black Male 76 30,438 23,236
2010 Chinese and other Male 83 4,453 3,682
2010 Mixed Male 75 10,942 8,242
2010 Not stated Male 79 33,278 26,364
2010 White Male 81 270,756 220,505
2010 Asian Not Known 40 35 14
2010 Black Not Known 47 86 40
2010 Chinese and other Not Known 44 9 4
2010 Mixed Not Known 58 19 11
2010 Not stated Not Known 59 2,914 1,704
2010 White Not Known 55 294 161
2011 Asian Female 72 1,268 906
2011 Black Female 80 3,470 2,790
2011 Chinese and other Female 82 636 523
2011 Mixed Female 76 1,795 1,359
2011 Not stated Female 75 8,973 6,762
2011 White Female 82 44,076 36,133
2011 Asian Male 79 18,861 14,825
2011 Black Male 78 30,294 23,746
2011 Chinese and other Male 81 4,247 3,438
2011 Mixed Male 78 10,771 8,376
2011 Not stated Male 75 33,096 24,953
2011 White Male 83 261,275 216,884
2011 Asian Not Known 54 35 19
2011 Black Not Known 58 62 36
2011 Chinese and other Not Known 62 13 8
2011 Mixed Not Known 47 15 7
2011 Not stated Not Known 57 3,647 2,077
2011 White Not Known 65 324 210
2012 Asian Female 75 1,016 759
2012 Black Female 80 2,817 2,242
2012 Chinese and other Female 86 499 427
2012 Mixed Female 77 1,364 1,050
2012 Not stated Female 73 8,383 6,149
2012 White Female 84 38,350 32,064
2012 Asian Male 79 16,672 13,112
2012 Black Male 79 26,263 20,769
2012 Chinese and other Male 83 3,675 3,034
2012 Mixed Male 79 9,450 7,431
2012 Not stated Male 76 33,357 25,401
2012 White Male 84 229,514 193,103
2012 Asian Not Known 42 57 24
2012 Black Not Known 55 73 40
2012 Chinese and other Not Known 47 19 9
2012 Mixed Not Known 64 25 16
2012 Not stated Not Known 57 3,893 2,222
2012 White Not Known 59 437 259
2013 Asian Female 68 1,065 727
2013 Black Female 75 2,633 1,965
2013 Chinese and other Female 83 519 429
2013 Mixed Female 75 1,294 970
2013 Not stated Female 74 8,922 6,635
2013 White Female 81 37,685 30,367
2013 Asian Male 74 16,838 12,451
2013 Black Male 76 26,003 19,855
2013 Chinese and other Male 82 3,620 2,969
2013 Mixed Male 76 9,231 7,001
2013 Not stated Male 76 33,790 25,693
2013 White Male 82 222,618 181,883
2013 Asian Not Known 36 102 37
2013 Black Not Known 41 92 38
2013 Chinese and other Not Known 53 17 9
2013 Mixed Not Known 47 17 8
2013 Not stated Not Known 55 4,495 2,453
2013 White Not Known 57 554 317
2014 Asian Female 71 943 666
2014 Black Female 74 2,650 1,963
2014 Chinese and other Female 84 443 372
2014 Mixed Female 76 1,349 1,019
2014 Not stated Female 77 10,326 7,924
2014 White Female 81 37,325 30,288
2014 Asian Male 75 15,718 11,740
2014 Black Male 77 24,313 18,748
2014 Chinese and other Male 79 3,175 2,518
2014 Mixed Male 76 8,240 6,264
2014 Not stated Male 77 35,009 27,097
2014 White Male 82 209,231 170,947
2014 Asian Not Known 41 75 31
2014 Black Not Known 54 82 44
2014 Chinese and other Not Known 56 9 5
2014 Mixed Not Known 39 41 16
2014 Not stated Not Known 56 4,555 2,542
2014 White Not Known 59 653 384
2015 Asian Female 70 934 658
2015 Black Female 79 2,381 1,874
2015 Chinese and other Female 90 398 358
2015 Mixed Female 78 1,237 970
2015 Not stated Female 81 10,244 8,328
2015 White Female 84 32,811 27,529
2015 Asian Male 78 14,395 11,277
2015 Black Male 80 22,513 17,970
2015 Chinese and other Male 84 2,982 2,502
2015 Mixed Male 77 7,930 6,136
2015 Not stated Male 81 36,971 29,839
2015 White Male 85 183,928 155,334
2015 Asian Not Known 38 97 37
2015 Black Not Known 53 111 59
2015 Chinese and other Not Known 53 19 10
2015 Mixed Not Known 52 29 15
2015 Not stated Not Known 54 4,790 2,596
2015 White Not Known 57 559 320
2016 Asian Female 73 871 634
2016 Black Female 77 2,205 1,695
2016 Chinese and other Female 76 371 281
2016 Mixed Female 78 967 749
2016 Not stated Female 83 9,529 7,892
2016 White Female 85 28,088 23,882
2016 Asian Male 81 13,753 11,176
2016 Black Male 81 22,670 18,375
2016 Chinese and other Male 82 2,692 2,211
2016 Mixed Male 82 6,615 5,415
2016 Not stated Male 83 41,612 34,680
2016 White Male 86 156,777 135,218
2016 Asian Not Known 38 92 35
2016 Black Not Known 62 125 78
2016 Chinese and other Not Known 64 14 9
2016 Mixed Not Known 61 33 20
2016 Not stated Not Known 56 4,773 2,680
2016 White Not Known 65 538 349

Download table data for ‘Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and gender’ (CSV)

Summary of Prosecutions and convictions Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and gender Summary

This data shows that:

  • from 2009 to 2016, the Conviction Ratio for indictable-only or ‘either way’ offences was similar for men and women; for example, in 2016, 85% of men and 84% of women were convicted

  • in 2016, the White ethnic group had the highest Conviction Ratio for both men (86%) and women (85%)

  • in 2016, the Black and Asian ethnic groups had the lowest Conviction Ratio for men (81%), and the Asian ethnic group had the lowest for women (73%)

  • there was more variation in conviction ratio for women than for men in 2016. This ranged from 73% to 85% for women, and from 81% to 86% for men

4. Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and age group

Location:
England and Wales
Time period:
2009 to 2016
Source:
Criminal justice statistics
Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and age group
Year Ethnicity Age group % Prosecutions Convictions
2009 Asian Adults 72 16,856 12,130
2009 Black Adults 73 27,054 19,742
2009 Chinese and other Adults 74 4,687 3,488
2009 Mixed Adults 71 8,825 6,247
2009 Not stated Adults 92 46,969 43,271
2009 White Adults 79 253,551 199,580
2009 Asian Juveniles 70 2,315 1,629
2009 Black Juveniles 71 5,399 3,839
2009 Chinese and other Juveniles 70 447 311
2009 Mixed Juveniles 72 2,767 1,990
2009 Not stated Juveniles 82 5,260 4,317
2009 White Juveniles 79 40,529 31,905
2010 Asian Adults 77 18,165 14,005
2010 Black Adults 78 28,599 22,183
2010 Chinese and other Adults 83 4,817 3,985
2010 Mixed Adults 76 10,000 7,626
2010 Not stated Adults 77 41,589 32,129
2010 White Adults 82 279,130 228,389
2010 Asian Juveniles 71 2,392 1,709
2010 Black Juveniles 69 6,126 4,220
2010 Chinese and other Juveniles 73 418 303
2010 Mixed Juveniles 72 2,817 2,019
2010 Not stated Juveniles 79 4,011 3,182
2010 White Juveniles 77 38,868 30,082
2011 Asian Adults 79 17,862 14,067
2011 Black Adults 80 27,744 22,253
2011 Chinese and other Adults 82 4,444 3,646
2011 Mixed Adults 78 9,815 7,699
2011 Not stated Adults 74 41,468 30,581
2011 White Adults 84 273,075 227,894
2011 Asian Juveniles 73 2,302 1,683
2011 Black Juveniles 71 6,082 4,319
2011 Chinese and other Juveniles 72 452 323
2011 Mixed Juveniles 74 2,766 2,043
2011 Not stated Juveniles 76 4,248 3,211
2011 White Juveniles 78 32,600 25,333
2012 Asian Adults 79 15,916 12,524
2012 Black Adults 80 24,586 19,747
2012 Chinese and other Adults 83 3,811 3,180
2012 Mixed Adults 80 8,757 6,998
2012 Not stated Adults 74 41,650 30,718
2012 White Adults 85 244,101 206,851
2012 Asian Juveniles 75 1,829 1,371
2012 Black Juveniles 72 4,567 3,304
2012 Chinese and other Juveniles 76 382 290
2012 Mixed Juveniles 72 2,082 1,499
2012 Not stated Juveniles 77 3,983 3,054
2012 White Juveniles 77 24,200 18,575
2013 Asian Adults 74 16,450 12,133
2013 Black Adults 77 25,035 19,267
2013 Chinese and other Adults 83 3,869 3,204
2013 Mixed Adults 77 8,899 6,859
2013 Not stated Adults 74 44,024 32,370
2013 White Adults 82 242,282 198,893
2013 Asian Juveniles 70 1,555 1,082
2013 Black Juveniles 70 3,693 2,591
2013 Chinese and other Juveniles 71 287 203
2013 Mixed Juveniles 68 1,643 1,120
2013 Not stated Juveniles 76 3,183 2,411
2013 White Juveniles 74 18,575 13,674
2014 Asian Adults 75 15,570 11,620
2014 Black Adults 78 24,016 18,656
2014 Chinese and other Adults 81 3,389 2,741
2014 Mixed Adults 77 8,204 6,321
2014 Not stated Adults 75 46,985 35,434
2014 White Adults 82 231,342 190,241
2014 Asian Juveniles 70 1,166 817
2014 Black Juveniles 69 3,029 2,099
2014 Chinese and other Juveniles 65 238 154
2014 Mixed Juveniles 69 1,426 978
2014 Not stated Juveniles 73 2,905 2,129
2014 White Juveniles 72 15,867 11,378
2015 Asian Adults 78 14,355 11,192
2015 Black Adults 81 22,163 17,904
2015 Chinese and other Adults 85 3,165 2,687
2015 Mixed Adults 79 7,885 6,226
2015 Not stated Adults 79 48,921 38,510
2015 White Adults 85 204,301 173,808
2015 Asian Juveniles 73 1,071 780
2015 Black Juveniles 70 2,842 1,999
2015 Chinese and other Juveniles 78 234 183
2015 Mixed Juveniles 68 1,311 895
2015 Not stated Juveniles 73 3,084 2,253
2015 White Juveniles 72 12,997 9,375
2016 Asian Adults 81 13,715 11,110
2016 Black Adults 82 22,106 18,145
2016 Chinese and other Adults 82 2,859 2,346
2016 Mixed Adults 83 6,623 5,476
2016 Not stated Adults 81 52,502 42,731
2016 White Adults 87 175,188 152,066
2016 Asian Juveniles 73 1,001 735
2016 Black Juveniles 69 2,894 2,003
2016 Chinese and other Juveniles 71 218 155
2016 Mixed Juveniles 71 992 708
2016 Not stated Juveniles 74 3,412 2,521
2016 White Juveniles 72 10,215 7,383

Download table data for ‘Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and age group’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and age group’ (CSV)

Summary of Prosecutions and convictions Conviction Ratio by ethnicity and age group Summary

This data shows that:

  • the Conviction Ratio for indictable-only or ‘either way’ offences is higher than for juveniles across all ethnic groups; in 2016, where ethnicity was known, the Conviction Ratio was 86% of adults and 72% of juveniles were convicted, a difference of around 14 percentage points

  • since 2013, the Conviction Ratio has risen for adults across all ethnicities, with the exception of the Other ethnic group

  • since 2009, the Conviction Ratio for White juveniles who are convicted has fallen by 7 percentage points, from 79% in 2009 to 72% in 2016

  • in 2016, the Asian ethnic group had the highest Conviction Ratio for juveniles and the lowest for adults, at 73% and 81% respectively

5. Methodology

The analysis uses courts administrative data.

The data includes some defendants who are shown as not having been convicted in the Crown Court but sentenced there. These defendants were convicted of an offence in the magistrates’ court but sent to the Crown Court for sentencing.

Related publications

Race and the criminal justice system: 2014

Quality and methodology information

6. Data sources

Source

Type of data

Administrative data

Type of statistic

Official statistics

Publisher

Ministry of Justice

Publication frequency

Quarterly

Purpose of data source

The data is used by the government to develop, monitor and evaluate criminal justice policy. It reports on activity in the criminal justice system for England and Wales, giving information for the latest year and longer-term trends.

7. Download the data

Convictions - Spreadsheet (csv) 78 KB

This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, sex, age group, value, denominator, numerator

Publication release date: 10 October 2017

Updated: 11 October 2017

full page history
  1. Technical change: Updated url to match page title.
  2. First published

From: Ministry of Justice

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