1. Main facts and figures
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since 2009, the conviction ratio (the percentage of defendants convicted out of all those prosecuted) for indictable-only or 'either way' offences has increased for all ethnic groups
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in 2017, the conviction ratios for Black and Mixed ethnic groups were lowest at 78.7% and 79%
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in 2017, the conviction ratio was highest for defendants in the White ethnic group, at 85.3%
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from 2009 to 2017, the conviction ratio (the percentage of defendants convicted out of all those prosecuted) increased for all ethnic groups, from 79.8% in 2009 to 83.7% in 2017
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however, the total number of prosecutions and convictions where ethnicity was known has decreased over the same period – prosecutions fell from 362,000 in 2009 to 211,000 in 2017 (around 42% fewer), while convictions fell from 281,000 in 2009 to 177,000 in 2017 (around 37% fewer)
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in 2017, the conviction ratio for offenders from the Other (including Chinese) group was 81.1% - for Asian offenders it was 80.3% in 2017 and the conviction ratios for the Black and Mixed ethnic groups were 78.8% and 79% respectively
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in 2017, 93% of White defendants prosecuted for drug offences were convicted, compared with 86.6% of defendants from the Mixed ethnic group and 85.5% of those from the Other (including Chinese) group. Ratios for the Other (including Chinese) group are based on small numbers so should be treated with caution
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in the same year, 83.7% of Asian defendants prosecuted for possession of weapons offences were convicted, compared with 80% of defendants from the Mixed ethnic group and 78.2% of those from the Other (including Chinese) group. Ratios for the Other (including Chinese) group are based on small numbers so should be treated with caution
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows the ‘conviction ratio’ for defendants from different ethnic groups.
A defendant is someone who has been accused of committing a crime. The conviction ratio is the number of defendants found guilty of a crime in court, as a percentage of all defendants who were prosecuted.
The data includes:
- ‘indictable-only’ offences, such as murder or rape, which can only be heard in a Crown Court
- ‘triable either way’ offences, such as burglary or drugs offences, which can be heard in magistrates’ court or Crown Courts
Percentages are rounded to 1 decimal place.
You can read more about criminal courts.
Not included in the data
The data does not include ‘summary’ offences, such as motoring offences and minor criminal damage.
The ethnic groups used in the data
The conviction ratio is shown for 5 ethnic groups based on the 2001 Census categories:
- Asian
- Black
- Mixed
- White
- Other
The ethnicity wasn’t known for about 1 in 5 offenders. Those offenders are not included in this data.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document (PDF opens in a new window or tab) for the data.
If someone was found guilty of more than one offence, the data includes the offence they were given the heaviest penalty for.
Prosecutions are counted in the year that the case is completed at magistrates' courts, where nearly all criminal cases start.
Convictions are counted in the year the case is completed, which can be in either a magistrates' court or Crown Court.
If a prosecution begins in a magistrates’ court and moves to the Crown Court:
- the prosecution and conviction may fall in different years
- defendants may be convicted for a different offence to the one they were originally prosecuted for
3. By ethnicity of defendant over time
| Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other including Chinese | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Asian % | Asian Prosecutions at MC | Asian Convictions and MC and CC | Black % | Black Prosecutions at MC | Black Convictions and MC and CC | Mixed % | Mixed Prosecutions at MC | Mixed Convictions and MC and CC | White % | White Prosecutions at MC | White Convictions and MC and CC | Other inc Chinese % | Other inc Chinese Prosecutions at MC | Other inc Chinese Convictions and MC and CC |
| 2009 | 71.8 | 19,171 | 13,759 | 72.7 | 32,453 | 23,581 | 71.1 | 11,592 | 8,237 | 78.7 | 294,080 | 231,485 | 74.0 | 5,134 | 3,799 |
| 2010 | 76.4 | 20,557 | 15,714 | 76.0 | 34,725 | 26,403 | 75.3 | 12,817 | 9,645 | 81.3 | 317,998 | 258,471 | 81.9 | 5,235 | 4,288 |
| 2011 | 78.1 | 20,164 | 15,750 | 78.6 | 33,826 | 26,571 | 77.4 | 12,581 | 9,742 | 82.8 | 305,672 | 253,220 | 81.1 | 4,896 | 3,969 |
| 2012 | 78.3 | 17,745 | 13,895 | 79.1 | 29,153 | 23,050 | 78.4 | 10,839 | 8,497 | 84.0 | 268,301 | 225,426 | 82.8 | 4,193 | 3,470 |
| 2013 | 73.4 | 18,005 | 13,215 | 76.1 | 28,728 | 21,858 | 75.7 | 10,542 | 7,979 | 81.5 | 260,857 | 212,567 | 82.0 | 4,156 | 3,407 |
| 2014 | 74.3 | 16,736 | 12,437 | 76.7 | 27,045 | 20,755 | 75.8 | 9,630 | 7,299 | 81.6 | 247,209 | 201,618 | 79.8 | 3,627 | 2,895 |
| 2015 | 77.6 | 15,418 | 11,967 | 79.6 | 24,993 | 19,893 | 77.4 | 9,196 | 7,121 | 84.3 | 217,166 | 183,068 | 84.4 | 3,395 | 2,867 |
| 2016 | 80.5 | 14,712 | 11,842 | 80.6 | 24,997 | 20,145 | 81.2 | 7,613 | 6,182 | 86.0 | 185,340 | 159,398 | 81.3 | 3,076 | 2,501 |
| 2017 | 80.3 | 13,244 | 10,635 | 78.7 | 23,374 | 18,384 | 79.0 | 6,831 | 5,398 | 85.3 | 165,037 | 140,701 | 81.1 | 2,751 | 2,230 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity of defendant over time’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity of defendant over time’ (CSV)
4. By ethnicity of defendant and offence
| Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other including Chinese | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offence Group | Asian % | Asian Convictions | Black % | Black Convictions | Mixed % | Mixed Convictions | White % | White Convictions | Other inc Chinese % | Other inc Chinese Convictions |
| Criminal damage and arson | 49.6 | 63 | 62.5 | 80 | 62.7 | 32 | 76.1 | 1,407 | 68.2 | 15 |
| Drug offences | 90.1 | 2,988 | 87.7 | 6,245 | 86.8 | 1,453 | 93.0 | 19,828 | 85.5 | 464 |
| Fraud Offences | 86.2 | 393 | 85.8 | 574 | 92.4 | 110 | 90.8 | 3,505 | 86.7 | 98 |
| Miscellaneous crimes against society | 81.2 | 1,475 | 75.0 | 1,763 | 73.5 | 533 | 77.9 | 15,853 | 87.7 | 327 |
| Possession of weapons | 83.7 | 748 | 80.5 | 2,022 | 80.0 | 479 | 82.5 | 7,273 | 78.2 | 147 |
| Public order offences | 94.7 | 757 | 87.9 | 1,245 | 92.4 | 318 | 97.4 | 11,269 | 87.3 | 124 |
| Robbery | 65.0 | 230 | 59.8 | 586 | 57.3 | 185 | 72.4 | 2,228 | 72.9 | 43 |
| Sexual offences | 52.2 | 436 | 52.5 | 442 | 54.9 | 95 | 64.8 | 4,455 | 60.9 | 112 |
| Theft Offences | 87.2 | 2,156 | 82.0 | 3,626 | 84.9 | 1,513 | 89.3 | 55,577 | 86.8 | 659 |
| Violence against the person | 63.9 | 1,389 | 61.4 | 1,801 | 65.3 | 680 | 76.9 | 19,306 | 65.5 | 241 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity of defendant and offence’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity of defendant and offence’ (CSV)
5. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
Official statistics
Publisher
Ministry of Justice
Publication frequency
Quarterly
Purpose of data source
The data is used by the government to develop, monitor and evaluate criminal justice policy. It reports on activity in the criminal justice system for England and Wales, giving information for the latest year and longer-term trends.
6. Download the data
This file contains the following: ethnicity, year, sex, age group, offence group, police force area, value, numerator, denominator