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7 Commentary: Sex and Age of Persons with a Charge Proved (Tables 5, 6(a)&6(b))
7.1 Between 2006/07 and 2007/08, the overall number of convictions per 1,000 population fell from 56 to 55 for males and remained at 10 for females. The number of convictions per 1,000 population in 2007/08 was generally lower than it was ten years previously for younger offenders (those aged 25 and under) but higher for older offenders.
7.2 Males accounted for 85 per cent of all convictions in 2007/08 (excluding companies) where the sex of the offender was known. More males than females were convicted in all crime and offence categories apart from 'other' crimes of indecency, where females accounted for 63 per cent of what are mainly offences related to prostitution. The other categories where females formed a higher than average proportion of those convicted included 'other' non-sexual crimes of violence (42 per cent), fraud (33 per cent), shoplifting (28 per cent) and 'other' miscellaneous offences (22 per cent).
7.3 For males and females aged under 21, 12 and 16 per cent respectively of convictions in 2007/08 were for crimes of dishonesty. Fourteen and 23 per cent respectively were for common assault. Over half (59 per cent) of convictions for theft of a motor vehicle involved males aged under 21. Convictions for motor vehicle offences accounted for a much higher proportion of total convictions for those aged over 30 (43 per cent for males and 39 per cent for females) than they did for the under 21 age group (20 per cent for males and 16 per cent for females).
(An individual may be proceeded against on more than one occasion over the course of the year, with several charges involved on each occasion. Persons aged under 21 are more likely than older offenders to be convicted on a number of occasions and hence to be counted more than once. Section 9 provides information on the characteristics of individuals in each age group who were convicted in 2007/08.)
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