Crime and justice: statistics terms explained

The measures used in crime, policing, courts and prison statistics, and why recorded crime, survey estimates and outcomes can tell different stories.

Police recorded crime

Crimes reported to and recorded by the police, following national counting rules. It reflects reporting and recording practice as well as crime itself.

Police recorded crime is the count of offences reported to and recorded by the police. In England and Wales, forces follow the Home Office Counting Rules, and the ONS and Home Office publish the figures. Scotland and Northern Ireland publish their own recorded crime statistics under different rules.

Why it matters when checking a claim

Not accredited. Police recorded crime for England and Wales is published as official statistics but has not had accredited status since 2014, after concerns about recording quality.
Recording changes. Improvements in recording practice have pushed up counts of some offences, such as violence and sexual offences. A rise may reflect better recording rather than more crime. See discontinuity.
Unreported crime is missing. For trends in crimes against households and adults, the ONS prefers the Crime Survey.
Better for some offences. Recorded figures are more useful for rarer, well-reported crimes such as homicide and knife crime.

See is crime going up or down.

Also searched as: recorded crime, police recorded crime statistics, Home Office Counting Rules, crime figures

Official definitions: ONS: Crime in England and Wales, latest · Home Office: Police recorded crime and outcomes open data

Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW)

A large household survey asking adults about crimes they experienced in the last year, whether or not they reported them to the police.

The Crime Survey for England and Wales (CSEW) asks a random sample of people living in households about crimes they have experienced in the previous twelve months. Because it includes incidents never reported to the police, the ONS treats it as the best measure of long-term trends in the crimes it covers. Its estimates are published as accredited official statistics.

Why it matters when checking a claim

What it misses. It does not cover crimes against businesses, people living in institutions such as care homes, or homicide, and some crimes against children are covered only in part.
Survey uncertainty. Changes between years may not be statistically significant; the ONS bulletin says which ones are. See statistical significance.
Different from police figures. The CSEW and police recorded crime can move in different directions. Claims should say which source they use.
Other nations. Scotland and Northern Ireland run their own crime surveys.

See is crime going up or down.

Also searched as: CSEW, crime survey, British Crime Survey, crime survey for england and wales meaning

Official definitions: ONS: Crime in England and Wales, latest · ONS: Crime and justice

Clearance rate (crime outcomes and charge rate)

How often recorded crimes are solved or result in a suspect being charged. In England and Wales this is published as crime outcomes, including the charge rate.

A clearance rate describes the share of recorded crimes that police resolve. England and Wales do not use the term officially. Instead, the Home Office publishes crime outcomes: what happened to each recorded offence, such as a charge or summons, a caution, a community resolution, or closure with no suspect identified. The charge rate is the share of offences assigned a charge or summons outcome. Scotland publishes a "clear up rate" in its own recorded crime statistics.

Why it matters when checking a claim

Outcomes lag. Crimes recorded late in a year may not yet have an outcome when figures are published, so the latest charge rate tends to rise later.
Charge is not conviction. A charged case may end in acquittal or be dropped. See the conviction rate.
Victim support outcomes. A large share of cases close because the victim does not support further action; check the full outcomes table.

Also searched as: charge rate, crime outcomes, detection rate, clear up rate, solved crime rate

Official definitions: Home Office: Crime outcomes in England and Wales statistics · Scottish Government: Recorded crime in Scotland

Proven reoffending rate

The share of offenders who commit another offence within a year that leads to a court conviction or caution. Published by the Ministry of Justice.

The proven reoffending rate is the proportion of offenders who commit a further offence within a one-year follow-up period that results in a conviction, caution or similar sanction. The Ministry of Justice measures it for a group (cohort) of adults and young people released from custody, given a non-custodial court sentence or cautioned in a three-month period, allowing an extra six months for cases to reach court.

Why it matters when checking a claim

Proven, not actual. It counts only reoffending that leads to a sanction, so it undercounts all reoffending.
Long time lag. Because of the follow-up period, the latest figures describe people who left prison or were sentenced well over a year before publication.
Sentence type matters. Rates differ for short prison sentences, longer sentences and community orders, partly because different people receive them. Comparing them does not show which sentence works better. See correlation and causation.

Also searched as: reoffending rate, reoffending rate uk, recidivism rate, proven reoffending statistics

Official definitions: Ministry of Justice: Proven reoffending statistics · Ministry of Justice: Criminal justice statistics

Remand

Holding a defendant in custody before trial or sentencing. People on remand are counted in the prison population even though they have not been sentenced.

A defendant is on remand when a court decides they must be held in custody, rather than released on bail, while waiting for trial or for sentencing. The Ministry of Justice reports the remand population in two groups: untried (awaiting trial) and convicted unsentenced (found guilty, awaiting sentence).

Why it matters when checking a claim

Part of the prison population. The total prison population includes people on remand. Changes in court backlogs can therefore affect prison numbers without any change in sentencing.
Not a finding of guilt. Untried remand prisoners have not been convicted; some will be acquitted.
Time on remand counts towards a sentence if the person is later convicted and jailed.

See what is the UK prison population, the Crown Court backlog and the prison population key figure.

Also searched as: on remand, remand prisoners, remand in custody, remand meaning uk

Official definitions: Ministry of Justice: Offender management statistics quarterly · Sentencing Council: Types of sentence

Prison operational capacity

The maximum number of prisoners a prison or the whole estate can hold while maintaining good order, security and the proper running of the regime.

Operational capacity is the total number of prisoners that an establishment can hold, taking into account control, security and the proper operation of the planned regime. It is higher than certified normal accommodation (CNA), the "uncrowded" capacity, because it allows for some crowding such as doubling up cells. The Ministry of Justice publishes weekly and monthly figures for the prison population and the useable operational capacity of the estate in England and Wales.

Why it matters when checking a claim

"Full" depends on the measure. A prison can be over CNA while still within operational capacity.
Useable capacity deducts a margin for cells out of use and the need to separate different types of prisoner, so it is lower than total operational capacity.
Weekly figures move. Compare the same dates and the same measure.

See what is the UK prison population.

Also searched as: prison capacity, useable operational capacity, certified normal accommodation, CNA, prison overcrowding measure

Official definitions: Ministry of Justice: Prison population weekly estate figures 2026 · Ministry of Justice: Offender management statistics quarterly

Custodial sentence

A sentence that sends an offender to prison or a young offender institution. Most adults serve part of the sentence in custody and the rest on licence in the community.

A custodial sentence is a sentence of imprisonment (or detention for young people). Courts in England and Wales can impose immediate custody or a suspended sentence order, which is a prison sentence that is not served unless the offender breaches its conditions or reoffends. Most determinate sentences are served partly in prison and partly on licence in the community.

Why it matters when checking a claim

Sentence length is not time served. Release points depend on the offence and the law in force at the time, so time in custody is usually shorter than the sentence announced in court.
Immediate or suspended? Statistics on the "custody rate" usually count immediate custody only; check whether suspended sentences are included.
Averages. The average custodial sentence length is published by the Ministry of Justice in its criminal justice statistics.

See what is the average prison sentence and where to find sentencing guidelines.

Also searched as: custodial sentence meaning, prison sentence, immediate custody, suspended sentence

Official definitions: Sentencing Council: Types of sentence · Ministry of Justice: Criminal justice statistics

Community order

A sentence served in the community, with one or more requirements such as unpaid work, a curfew or treatment, instead of prison.

A community order is a sentence that an offender serves in the community, supervised by the Probation Service. Courts in England and Wales attach one or more requirements, such as unpaid work, a curfew (often electronically monitored), an exclusion zone, rehabilitation activities, or drug, alcohol or mental health treatment. An order can last up to three years. Breaching it can lead to a tougher sentence, including custody.

Why it matters when checking a claim

Counts are published. The Ministry of Justice publishes how many community orders courts impose each year and the probation caseload.
Not the same as a suspended sentence. A suspended sentence order is a custodial sentence, even though the person stays in the community.
Guidelines set the range. The Sentencing Council's guidelines say when a community order is appropriate for each offence.

See where to find sentencing guidelines.

Also searched as: community sentence, community order uk, community order meaning, unpaid work

Official definitions: Sentencing Council: Community sentences · Ministry of Justice: Criminal justice statistics