DATA ELEMENTS AND DATA ELEMENT CONCEPTS
DATE OF VERDICT
IDENTIFYING AND DEFINITIONAL ATTRIBUTES
Metadata type:
DATA ELEMENT Version: 1
Definition:
The date on which a judgment is made (if judge alone) or a jury announces their finding on the alleged criminal charge(s) laid against the defendant.
Context:
A verdict is a decision of a judge or jury based on their interpretation of evidence presented. A verdict of guilty means that the judge or jury is satisfied beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused did the things required to constitute the crime as legally defined. Any other verdict is an acquittal.
Date of Verdict can be used to calculate the time elapsed between Date of Initiation and Date of Verdict and the time elapsed between Date of Verdict and Date of Finalisation.
RELATIONAL AND REPRESENTATIONAL ATTRIBUTES
Datatype:
Alphanumeric
Field size:
Min: 10 Max: 10
Representational form:
Date
Representational layout:
DD/MM/YYYY
Data domain:
Valid date
Guide for use:
Only one Date of Verdict may be recorded for each defendant's case. National coding rules (see below) are applied to determine the appropriate Date of Verdict when the defendant has multiple charges which have different verdict dates.
The coding rules for determining Date of Verdict are:
1. Where a defendant has a single charge with a Date of Verdict, the charge Date of Verdict is also the defendant Date of Verdict.
2. Where a defendant has multiple charges, and these charges have the same dates of verdict, this is also the defendant Date of Verdict.
3. Where a defendant has multiple charges and these charges have differing dates of verdict, the defendant Date of Verdict is the latest charge Date of Verdict.
Verification rules:
Date of Verdict is only collected for charges finalised by trial in a higher court where a verdict is handed down. Therefore, Date of Verdict is not valid for charges where the defendant pleads guilty or the charge is withdrawn.
Where there is a Date of Verdict and Date of Finalisation, Date of Verdict should be earlier or the same as Date of Finalisation.
Date of Verdict should not be prior to Date of Initiation.
Collection methods:
This information is taken from court process documentation including court bench sheets etc.
Related metadata:
Is related to the data elements:
Method of Finalisation
Date of Finalisation
ADMINISTRATIVE ATTRIBUTES
Source document:
1. Higher Criminal Courts Collection Manual
2. Collins Dictionary of Law
Source organisation:
1. Australian Bureau of Statistics
2. Harper Collins
History:
Commenced 2005
Comments:
None
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