First Time Entrants to the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland 2023/24 published
Date published:
The Department of Justice has published the official statistics publications 'First Time Entrants to the Criminal Justice System in Northern Ireland 2023/24'.
The bulletin presents information on first time entrants (or, disposals relating to first offences) to the criminal justice system disaggregated by age, gender, offence category and disposal type for 2023/24. The key findings were as follows:
SUMMARY
- In 2023/24, 29,666 offences were recorded as dealt with by conviction or diversion in the justice system in Northern Ireland. Of these, 26.5% (7,871) were first offences. The comparative figure for 2022/23 was 25.8%.
- Of first offences, 25.0% (1,968) were dealt with by formal diversionary disposal and 75.0% (5,903) by conviction.
AGE GROUP and GENDER
- Of all first time entrants in 2023/24, 8.4% (660) were aged 10 to 17 and 24.5% (1,926) were aged 18 to 24.
- Those aged 10 to 17 were most likely (86.8% or 573 out of 660) to receive a diversion for a first offence. 80.7% (448) of first time entrants aged 60 and over received a conviction.
- Of all offences committed by males[1] and dealt with by conviction or diversion, 23.5% (5,498) were first offences; the comparative figure for females was 38.1% (2,373).
OFFENCE TYPE and DISPOSALS RECEIVED
- Over half, 59.1% (4,655) of all first offences in 2023/24 were motoring offences. Of all instances where a conviction or diversion was issued for offences in that category, 37.6% were for first offences.
- Monetary disposals made up 60.9% (4,794) of all disposals for first offences in 2023/24. First offences accounted for 33.2% of all instances where a monetary penalty was imposed in relation to a conviction or diversion.
- Of all instances where imprisonment was imposed as a penalty, first offences accounted for only 6.0% (216 out of 3,594).
- First offences accounted for 48.2% (1,968) of all instances where a diversionary disposal was issued. Of first offences dealt with by diversion, 74.7% (1,471) were dealt with by way of caution. However, while 47.3% of all cautions were for first offences, 87.4% (264) of all informed warnings issued were for first offences.
