Summary
Abstract
In 2021 the NSW Criminal Courts finalised 3% more matters than in 2020, but 6% fewer matters than in 2019. Court finalisations in 2020 and 2021 were substantially affected by responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Sentencing figures show a reduction in both the number and percentage of defendants receiving a custodial sentence in 2021. In 2021 the median time to finalise a defended hearing in the Local Court had risen to 266 days from arrest to finalisation.