Statistical Bulletin: Crime and Justice Series: Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics, 2010-11

7. Diversion from Prosecution ( DPs)

(Tables 1 to 4&30,Chart 10)

7.1 A total of 960 DP cases commenced in 2010-11, a decrease of 9 per cent from the 2009-10 total of 1,050 ( Table 1). These 960 cases related to 940 individuals. Other DP totals for 2010-11 included 1,600 referrals (a 16 per cent decrease on 2009-10), 1,420 assessments (2 per cent increase), 800 cases successfully completed (5 per cent increase) and 31 cases referred to drug treatment/education (82 per cent increase) ( Table 30).

7.2 The 9 per cent decrease in the number of DP cases is not consistently due to a decrease within all local authorities. City of Edinburgh and to some extent Glasgow City had an important bearing on this trend. City of Edinburgh issued 459 (44 per cent) of the total DP cases in 2009-10, and in 2010-11 they issued 367 (38 per cent) of the total. Further information is provided in the extra datasets on DPs at CJA/ LA level which accompany this publication.

7.3 Approximately 52 per cent of DP cases commencing in 2010-11 involved males ( Table 2). Females receiving DPs tended to be older than males, with 57 per cent aged over 30 compared with 42 per cent for males. The number of females receiving DPs was 70 per cent higher than males in the age range 21 to 40. For those under 21, the opposite was true, with almost three times as many males receiving DPs as females.

7.4 In 2010-11, a more accurate breakdown by employment status was able to be provided, with only a small number of records given an employment status of "Other". Table 3 shows that about 67 per cent of DP cases which commenced in 2010-11 related to offenders who were unemployed or not seeking employment.

Chart 10 DPs by Age and Gender of Offender, 2008-09 to 2010-11
Number of cases per 10,000 population