A 22 per cent decrease in defendants with illicit drug offences was behind a decline in Australian criminal courts finalisations in 2021–22, according to data released Friday, March 3 by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).
ABS head of crime and justice statistics, William Milne said there were 43,667 defendants with illicit drugs as their main offence, accounting for almost one in ten defendants finalised in criminal courts across the country. That’s down from 55,973 defendants with this offence in the previous year.
“Victoria was the only state to see an increase in defendants on illicit drug charges in 2021–22. This appears to be due to the courts clearing COVID-19-related backlogs,” he said.
The drop in illicit drug court cases aligned with police results for 2021–22.
Today’s release follows the Recorded Crime Offenders release, issued by the ABS last month. Further information, including state and territory data, can be found in Criminal Courts Australia, 2021–22, available as a free download from the ABS website.
