Footnotes

Source: UNECE Statistical Database, compiled from national official sources.

Definition:
Conviction is the verdict that results when a court of law finds a defendant guilty of a crime.
A serious assault is an injury whereby life could be endangered, including cases of injury involving the use of dangerous instrument. Cases where instruments are used only to threaten are excluded.
An assault refers to physical attack against the body of another person, including battery but excluding indecent assault.
A homicide is intentional or unintentional killing. Intentional homicide is a death deliberately inflicted on a person by another person, including infanticide.Non-intentional homicide is a death not deliberately inflicted on a person by another person. That includes crime of manslaughter but excludes traffic accidents that result in a death of persons. The distinction between intentional and unintentional homicide differs from country to country, as does the definition of attempted murder.
Rape is a sexual intercourse without valid consent.
Robbery is a theft of property from a person, overcoming resistance by force or threat of force.
Theft is any act of intentionally and unlawfully removing property belonging to another person (or organisation), excluding burglary.
Drug crimes are any violation involving the illicit brokerage, cultivation, delivery (on any terms whatsoever), dispatch, dispatch in transit, distribution, extraction, exportation or importation, offering for sale, preparation, production, purchase, manufacture, sale, traffic, transportation, or use of narcotic drugs.

General note: Data come from administrative data sources unless otherwise specified.

.. - data not available

Country: Albania

Assault includes article 89, this change includes years 2013-2015. Theft includes all crimes against property and economic sphere, but excludes robbery.

Country: Austria

Break in methodlogy (2000): Significantly reduced number of convictions between 1999 and 2000: the decline is due to diversion which is now applicable to adults in criminal law.

Country: Bulgaria

Break in methodlogy (2000): Until 1997 data are based on the activity of the regional and district courts on penal trials of general, private and administrative character. Since 1998 the information for the activity of military courts is also included.

Country: Bulgaria

Break in methodlogy (2012): Since 2012 data include activities of the Special Criminal Court.

Country: Canada

Assault includes Level 1 Assault, Criminal Code of Canada, section 266. A common assault has been committed when an individual intentionally applies force or threatens to apply force to another person, without that person's consent. The seriousness of physical injury is what distinguishes this type of assault from other, more serious assaults. Serious assault includes assault with a weapon (Level 2, Criminal Code of Canada, section 267), aggravated assault (Level 3, Criminal Code of Canada, section 268) and other assaults (assaults against police officers, and unlawfully causing bodily harm). Homicide includes first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter and infanticide. Rape is not a recognized offence in the Criminal Code of Canada. Data reported are sexual assault (level 1), sexual assault with a weapon or bodily harm (level 2) and sexual assault aggravated (level 3). Theft includes theft over and under $5,000 as well as motor vehicle theft. Drug crime includes drug possession, trafficking, production, importing and exporting.
Data refer to a fiscal year (April 1 through March 31).
Data do not cover all provinces and territories.
Data includes persons aged 12 y.o. or older at the time of the offence.

Country: Croatia

Data refer to adults serving imprisonment sentences.

Country: Cyprus

Data refer to the Government controlled area only.

Country: Cyprus

Includes convictions of both serious crimes (in violation of the Penal Code) and minor offences, as well as traffic violations.

Country: Denmark

Change in definition (1980 - 2012): All persons with a decision, incl. acquitted and prosecutor dropped
Assault: Include serious assault and homicide

Country: Denmark

Only guilty decisions included.

Country: Estonia

Break in methodlogy (1990 - 1995): Change in laws and methodology.

Country: Estonia

Change in definition (1990 - 2013): Theft includes burglary.

Country: Finland

Break in methodology (2000): The Penal Code includes the offences against the Road Traffic Act carrying imprisonment as penalty.

Country: Finland

Data refer to offences against the Penal Code only.

Country: France

Additional information (1995 - 2002): Amnesties (part of convictions was not registered).

Country: France

Change in definition (1990 - 2011): Data are based on different classification of offences.

Country: Georgia

Territorial change (2000 onward): Data do not cover Abkhazia AR and Tskhinvali Region.

Country: Germany

Territorial change (1980 - 2006): Data refer to former territory of Germany.

Country: Greece

Change in definition (1980 - 2010): Number of convictions equals to number of convicted persons (persons found definitively guilty from penal courts). Serious assault excludes fatal body injuries.

Country: Iceland

Data refer to convictions from the district courts.

Country: Ireland

2009: break in series, change in methodology.

Country: Israel

Reference period (1980): Data refer to 1981

Country: Israel

Reference period (1990): Data refer to 1989

Country: Italy

Break in methodlogy (2000): Until 2000 data referred to the most serious crime. Series from 2000 to 2011 have been updated according to the new systems and calculating the convinctions instead of the persons convicted.

Country: Italy

Change in definition (1980 - 2011): Rape: convicted for misdemeanours are not included.

Country: Kazakhstan

Break in methodlogy (2000): Change of source as of 2000

Country: Kyrgyzstan

Change in definition (2000 - onwards): Data are changed concidering the definition of the robbery.

Country: Latvia

Break in methodlogy (2011): Data include fraud and misappropriation on small scale

Country: Latvia

Change in definition (2000 - 2012): Data for theft include burglary.

Country: Montenegro

2001-2006: data refer to convicted adults. From 2007: data refer to convicted adults and juveniles. Assaults include serious assaults.

Country: Netherlands

Assaults include serious assaults. Data exclude persons with unknown sex.

Country: Norway

Until 2000: the total does not include convictions for misdemeanours, i.e. ticket fines and prosecutions conditionally dropped are not included.

Country: Poland

Data refer to adults only.

Country: Republic of Moldova

Territorial change (2004 onward): Data exclude the territory of the Transnistria and municipality of Bender

Country: Romania

Convictions is equivalent to Persons convicted because there are no data regarding final convictions.

Country: Serbia

Territorial change (2000 onward): Data exclude territory of Kosovo and Metohija.

Country: Slovakia

Break in methodlogy (2006): Change in criminal code.

Country: Slovenia

Break in methodology (1995): Change in law. Break in methodology (2013): New amendment to the Criminal Procedure Act enabled the implementation of criminal proceedings and economized trials. This is reflected in the large increase of the number of convicted persons over the previous year. The number of convicted juveniles did not significantly increase during the same period – around 10%.

Country: Spain

Break in methodology (2007): change in source, data include only firm convictions.

Country: Spain

Total could be less than sum of convictions by type as each conviction can include different crimes.

Country: Sweden

Break in methodlogy (2005): Break in series for convictions of Rape due to changes in legislation for sexual offenses.

Country: Sweden

Statistics presented refers to conviction decisions laid down by courts (first instance county court convictions) or prosecutors (prosecutor fines or waiver of prosecution).
Sub groups for some years do not add up to the main level, due to missing data on gender.
Attempt, preparation, being an accomplice, incitement, failure to disclose and failure to prevent offences are included in respective offence category.
Drug crime does not include drug trafficking for the years 1995 and 2000. Drug trafficking is included from 2001 onwards.

Country: Switzerland

Change in definition (1990 - onwards): Only convicted persons for felonies and misdemeanours.

Country: Turkey

Break in methodlogy (2009): Change in data compilation method.

Country: Turkey

Change in definition (1990 - 2010): Data includes intentional and non-intentional homicide. Theft includes burglary.

Country: Turkey

Data refer to the number of sentence decisions rendered for accused persons at criminal courts in accordance with Turkish Criminal Law and special laws for 2009 and later. Total excludes judicial person, foreign national and unknown sex for 2009 and later.

Country: Ukraine

From 2014 data cover the territories under the government control.

Country: United Kingdom

Change in definition (2000 - onwards): Serious assault includes attempted murder. Rape includes attempted rape.

Country: United Kingdom

Change in definition (2008 - onwards): Male and female may not add up to total because sex is not always recorded.

Country: United Kingdom

Territorial change (2000 - onwards): Data refer to England and Wales.

Country: United States

Data represent felony convictions in State and Federal Courts. Convictions in juvenile courts are not included. Data do not distinguish between assault and serious assault.
1995: data refers to 1994.