Out Of Court Disposals

By Cerys Gibson

This report describes the current status of adult out of court disposals1 in England and Wales and draws on a review of relevant research over the period 2010-2020. It focuses on the efficiency and effectiveness of the system of out of court disposals in reducing reoffending and improving victim satisfaction in the criminal justice system and also on the appropriateness and consistency of the decision-making.

It first summarises the current system of out of court disposals, focusing on community resolutions, Penalty Notices for Disorder and simple and conditional cautions.

It identifies recent developments in the system of out of court disposals, including the new two-tier system, and the use of out of court disposals since 2001. This report then summarises research on the efficiency of the disposals and their effectiveness in achieving offender rehabilitation and improving victim satisfaction.

Then it considers the appropriateness and consistency of the use of out of court disposals, as well as the accountability mechanisms in place to scrutinise this decision-making before concluding with key research questions which have yet to be answered, and by identifying areas for further study.

Read the full report here.