⁽²⁾ Following the introduction of the Libra case management system during 2008, offenders at magistrates courts can now be recorded as sex 'Not Stated' or 'Other', as well as 'Male', 'Female'. In 2008 1.5% of offenders sentenced were recorded as sex 'Not Stated'. Detailed comparisons by gender may be no longer be valid.

Court Categorisation

Crown Courts: area categorisation based on the prosecuting police force area (which is not necessarily the area of the sentencing court). If another agency has brought the prosecution, area categorisation is based on the criminal justice area of the sentencing court.

Magistrates Courts: As part of the rollout of the Libra case management system in magistrates' courts during 2008, a change was made to the categorisation by area. Sentences given at courts using the Libra system are categorised according to the criminal justice area of the court while others are categorised in the same way as the Crown Court. By the end of 2008, all magistrates' courts were using Libra. Police forces do not prosecute minor offences (those that are sentenced at magistrates' courts) outside their areas. Only around 0.01% of sentences at magistrates courts were affected in 2007 and 2008.

Police force areas correspond to criminal justice areas except for the Metropolitan and City of London Police, which are combined to form the London criminal justice area.

This data has been taken from the Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings database. This data is presented on the principal offence basis. Where an offender has been sentenced for more than one offence the principal offence is the one for which the heaviest sentence was imposed. Where the same sentence has been imposed for two or more offences the principal offence is the one for which the statutory maximum is most severe.