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6. Commentary: Persons Convicted (Tables 3, 4(a)& 4(b))
6.1 The total number of convictions in 2007/08 was 133,100, a decrease of 1 per cent compared with 2006/07. Of these, 79,700 (60 per cent of the total) took place in sheriff summary courts.
6.2 The more serious cases are dealt with in the High Court or by a sheriff sitting with a jury. Around 6,200 persons were convicted in these courts in 2007/08, 5 per cent of all persons convicted. Recording delays mean that the figures for High Court convictions in 2007/08, and to a lesser extent 2006/07, may be underestimates.
6.3 In 2007/08, a total of 47,200 persons were convicted in the district / justice of the peace courts or in the stipendiary magistrates court that operates in Glasgow. While this represented a small decrease of 2 per cent compared with the previous year, it was substantially (18 per cent) smaller than in 1998/99.
6.4 There were large percentage increases between 2006/07 and 2007/08 in the number of people with a charge proved for indecent assault (up 43 per cent to 116), vehicle defect offences (up 34 per cent to 2,300), 'other' crimes (up 32 per cent to 268), serious assault and attempted murder (up 16 per cent to 1,700) and crimes against public justice (up 11 per cent to 8,000). Numbers with a charge proved for homicide increased by 9 per cent from 118 to 129. There were also increases of 5 per cent in numbers with a charge proved for speeding (14,100) and dangerous and careless driving (4,000). The highlighted increases for serious assault and attempted murder and homicide, together with increases for robbery and 'other' violent crimes, resulted in the number of persons with a charge proved for non-sexual crimes of violence as a whole going up by 12 per cent, from 2,400 to 2,700.
6.5 There was a large decrease of 39 per cent in the number of persons with a charge proved for breach of social work orders, from 4,900 in 2006/07 to 3,000 in 2007/08. This fall is, however, likely to be as a result of a change in recording practices for such crimes and, as such, these offences have been excluded from the overall analysis. More detail on this is provided in Annex C. There were also decreases in the numbers with a charge proved for 'other' motor vehicle offences (down 27 per cent to 3,400), lewd and indecent behaviour (down 21 per cent to 247), rape and attempted rape (down 17 per cent to 48), 'other' crimes of dishonesty (down 12 per cent to 1,300) and fire-raising (down 11 per cent to 223). As a result of some of the highlighted falls, there was an overall decrease of 9 per cent (from 862 to 785) for persons with a charge proved for crimes of indecency.
6.6 The 133,100 convictions in 2007/08 involved a total of 184,400 individual offences where the charge was proved. On average there were 1.39 charges proved for each conviction.
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