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IMPROVING PRACTICE
APPENDIX C STATISTICAL TABLES
All of the tables in this appendix are referred to by number in the text of the report. For further information on the sources of these statistics and the methods by which the data were collected, please refer to Appendix B.
TABLE 1 NEW INDICTMENTS REGISTERED, 1991-2001
Year | No. |
1991 | 970 |
1992 | 1159 |
1993 | 1365 |
1994 | 1053 |
1995 | 1195 |
1996 | 1332 |
1997 | 1244 |
1998 | 1178 |
1999 | 1438 |
2000 | 1345 |
2001 | 1468 |
Source: High Court of Justiciary recordsTABLE 2 FREQUENCY OF ADJOURNMENTS, 1995 AND 2001
| 1995 | 2001
Sample I | 2001
Sample II | 2001
Combined |
No. of adjournments per indictment | % | % | % | % |
0 | 94 | 73 | 62 | 67 |
1 | 4 | 16 | 21 | 19 |
2 | 1 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
4 | | 1 | 1 | 1 |
5 | | 1 | 1 | 1 |
6 | | 1 | 0 | 1 |
7 | | 1 | 0 | 0 |
8 | | Less than 0.5 | 0 | 0 |
All indictments sampled | 100 | 100 | 100 | 101* |
* Percentages rounded to the nearest whole numbers
Source: Book of AdjournalTABLE 3 INDICTMENTS LISTED FOR TRIAL: CHANGES BETWEEN 1995 AND 2001
| 1995 | 2001 |
Type of diet | No | % | No. | % |
First trial diet | 1231 | 93 | 1313 | 63 |
Adjourned from previous trial diet | 95 | 7 | 781 | 37 |
Not known | 0 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
All cases | 1326 | 100 | 2102 | 100 |
Source: Crown Office High Court Sitting ListsTABLE 4 INDICTMENTS LISTED FOR TRIAL: PERCENTAGE INCREASE BETWEEN 1995 AND 2001
| 1995 | 2001 | % increase 1995-2001 |
First trial diet | 1231 | 1313 | 7 |
Adjourned from previous trial diet | 95 | 781 | 722 |
All cases | 1326 | 2102 | 59 |
Source: Crown Office High Court Sitting ListsTABLE 5 INDICTMENTS GOING TO TRIAL AT FIRST TRIAL DIET AND AT ADJOURNED DIETS, 1995 AND 2001
Diet of trial | 1995 | 2001
Sample 1 | 2001
Sample II | 2001
Combined |
| % | % | % | % |
First diet | 33 | 18 | 11 | 14 |
Adjourned diet | 4 | 14 | 16 | 15 |
Indictments going to trial | 37 | 32 | 27 | 29 |
All indictments
sampled | 100
(303) | 100
(365) | 100
(365) | 100
(730) |
Source: Book of AdjournalTABLE 6 CROWN AND DEFENCE MOTIONS TO ADJOURN, 1995 AND 2001
| 1995 | 2001
Sample I | 2001
Sample II | 2001
Combined |
Motions raised by | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | No. | % |
Crown | 20 | 54 | 33 | 16 | 48 | 20 | 81 | 18 |
Defence | 15 | 41 | 167 | 80 | 169 | 72 | 336 | 75 |
Joint motions | 2 | 5 | 10 | 5 | 19 | 8 | 29 | 7 |
All motions | 37 | 100 | 210 | 101* | 236 | 100 | 446 | 100 |
No. of indictments sampled | 303 | | 365 | | 365 | | 730 | |
* Percentages rounded to the nearest whole numbers
Source: Book of AdjournalTABLE 7.1 REASONS FOR MOTIONS TO ADJOURN, 1995
| Crown | Defence | Joint | All motions |
Reasons | No. | No. | No. | No. |
Problems with witnesses | 7 | 4 | 0 | 11 |
Fuller invest. (e.g. mental health) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Pressure of court business | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
More time/inform needed | 4 | 5 | 2 | 11 |
Not known | 7 | 5 | 0 | 12 |
All motions | 20(54%) | 15(41%) | 2(5%) | 37(100%) |
No. of indictments sampled | | | | 303 |
Source: Book of AdjournalTABLE 7.2 REASONS FOR MOTIONS TO ADJOURN, 2001 (JANUARY-MARCH)
| Crown | Defence | Joint | All motions |
Reasons | No. | No. | No. | No. |
Problems with witnesses | 10 | 13 | 3 | 26 |
Counsel withdrawn or unavailable | 1 | 11 | 0 | 12 |
Expert evidence/reports requested | 0 | 9 | 0 | 9 |
S67 productions/witnesses | 1 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
Legal aid | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Late or new (e.g. senior counsel instructed) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Witness not cited | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fuller investigation (e.g. mental health) | 5 | 13 | 2 | 20 |
Pressure of court business | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
More time needed | 2 | 63 | 2 | 67 |
Not known | 6 | 24 | 3 | 33 |
Interpreter problems | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Accused ill | 1 | 9 | 0 | 10 |
Appeal pending | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All motions | 33(16%) | 167 ( 80%) | 10(5%) | 210(101%)* |
* Percentages rounded to the nearest whole numbers |
No. of indictments sampled | | | | 36 |
Source: Book of AdjournalTABLE 7.3 REASONS FOR MOTIONS TO ADJOURN, 2001 (OCTOBER-DECEMBER)
| Crown | Defence | Joint | All motions |
Reasons | No. | No. | No. | No. |
Problems with witnesses | 16 | 16 | 3 | 35 |
Counsel withdrawn or unavailable | 1 | 19 | 1 | 21 |
Expert evidence/reports (e.g. DNA) | 0 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
S67 productions/witnesses | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Legal aid | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Late or new (e.g. senior counsel Instructed) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Witness not cited | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Fuller investigation (e.g. mental health) | 0 | 8 | 0 | 8 |
Pressure of court business | 16 | 1 | 1 | 18 |
More time needed | 0 | 68 | 3 | 71 |
Not known | 13 | 17 | 3 | 33 |
Accused ill | 1 | 8 | 5 | 14 |
Christmas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
Devolution minute | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Appeal pending | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All motions | 48(20%) | 169(72%) | 19(8%) | 236(100%) |
No. of indictments sampled | 365 | | | |
Source: Book of Adjournal« Previous | Contents | Next »