Out-of-court 'justice' booms

Out-of-court punishments accounted for more than half of all offences dealt with by the criminal justice system last year, according to a new report from the Ministry of Justice.

Figures from a report quoted in The Times highlight how few crimes in England and Wales are ever detected. Only 49 per cent of offences were dealt with by a person being charged or summonsed to appear in court - while the rest were dealt with outside a court, either through a caution, being taken into consideration or an on-the-spot fine. 

The number of fixed penalty notices has more than tripled in three years to reach a record 207,000 last year, an increase of seven per cent on 2006, figures from the Ministry of Justice show. At the same time, the number of people cautioned by police rose by four per cent in a year to 306,000, including 34 cautioned for the rape or attempted of a male or female. Only 60 per cent of on-the-spot fines are paid within the 21 days in which payment is required.

The number of offenders fined for all offences peaked at 1.08m in 2004 but has since decreased year on year and fell by 13 per cent to 941,5000 in 2007 - lower than the level when Labour came to power in 1997. The average fine handed out in the magistrates courts rose by three per cent from £149 to £154 between 2006 and 2007.  

Read the full article from TimesOnline here