Statistical Yearbook of the Czech Republic

Notes on tables

Table 25-1. Cases handled by district and regional courts of law

      Cases - designation of matters handled by a court of law and incorporated into the record. One case can include more persons.

      Criminal cases - cases heard by a court of law, based on accusation submitted by the public prosecutor, in which verdicts are pronounced, sentences are passed, and protective measures and indemnities are decided on - if caused by criminal activities.

      Filed - in criminal cases: number of charges filed and, possibly, of cases re-filed as the result of the application of extraordinary legal remedies. In civil cases and cases related to care for minors, the number of proposals submitted to courts of law (including cases initiated by the court through its own power of initiation), which are incorporated into the record by the court.

      Settled - number of cases (persons) decided by courts of law.

      Outstanding - number of cases (persons) submitted, but not yet settled by courts of law. The figures are always related to 31 December of the year concerned.

      Cases of legal rehabilitation - volume of cases handled by courts of law under Act No. 119/199 Coll., on Legal Rehabilitation.

      Civil cases - mostly cases regulated by the Civil Code, Code of Labour, Family Act, and Cooperative Farming Act.

      Care for minors - mostly cases of parental care and guardianship.

Table 25-2. Results of criminal proceedings and sentences in effect

      Accused person - a person a legal action is taken against or whose punishment is proposed.

      Offender found guilty - a person ruled guilty and sentenced by the court of law, when the sentence has come into effect already.

      Habitual offender - a person who was already sentenced before for a similar crime, which is considered an aggravating circumstance.

      Imprisonment - a sentence served in prisons administered by the Prison Service of the Czech Republic.

      Probation order - sentence execution is conditionally suspended over a probationary period.

      Banned activity - sentences which place a ban on the execution of a certain occupation, profession, position or activity for one to ten years.

Tables 25-3 and 25-4. Sentences in criminal cases (all persons and juveniles)

      Juvenile - a person 15 to 18 years of age

      Traffic offences - crimes committed in connection with the operation of means of transport.

Table 25-5. Civil cases

      The table lists data by claim. The claim is any requirement for a ruling by court of law. One case can involve more claims.

Table 25-6. Criminal activity: by region, number of identified prosecuted perpetrators and the way of executing the case in preparatory proceedings

       The figures refer to district and regional prosecuting attorney's offices and, since 2001, high prosecuting attorney's ones, too.

      Prosecuted - number of persons against whom prosecution was initiated according to Article 160 of the Penal Act.

      Accused - number of persons against whom a legal action was brought according to Article 176 of the Penal Act.

      Discontinued - number of persons with whom prosecution was brought to an end according to Article 172 of the Penal act.

      Passed - number of cases passed to another body according to Article 171 of the Penal Act.

      Interrupted - number of persons with whom prosecution was interrupted according to Article 173 of the Penal Act.

      Proposed for settlement - number of proposals submitted by the public prosecutor for the decision on the approval of settlement according to Article 314 of the Penal Act.

      Discontinued and dismissed in amnesty - number of persons with whom prosecution was discontinued according to Article 11 1a) of the Penal Act.

Table 25-9. Accused persons: by duration and type of custody

      Expulsion custody institute - in force since 1 October 1997 under Act No. 150/1997 Coll., used for persons kept in custody for expulsion.

      Extradition custody - measure to prevent a person to be extradite for prosecution abroad from escaping.

      Custody in preparatory proceedings - part of criminal proceedings under way from the day the accused was arrested till the day the defendant was lodged a suit against at the court by the public prosecutor.

      Custody in proceedings before the court - part of criminal proceedings, which is under way from the day the lawsuit is lodged until a prison sentence against the defendant enters into force.

      Total custody - duration of custody proceedings from the day the accused is arrested until a prison sentence against the accused enters into force.

       Custody in preparatory proceedings need not always precede proceedings before the court- e.g., in cases when the accused is not arrested until the lawsuit is lodged.

       In the table, each accused person is shown twice - in the respective type of custody and in total custody. (For instance: an accused person, who has been in custody in preparatory proceedings for 3 months, is shown in "Custody in preparatory proceedings" in column "up to 4 months" as well as in "Total" in column "up to 4 months". An accused person who has been in custody in proceedings before the court for 3 months and was in custody in preparatory proceedings for 8 months before is shown in "Custody before the court" in column "up to 4 months" and in "Total" in column "up to 1 year".)

Tables 25-13 and 25-14. Convicted persons: by prison category

      From 1 January 1994, convicted persons were put in prisons split into four basic types according to the degree of external and internal security and the way of applying re-socialization schemes. A similar approach was used for convicted juveniles for which special sections for juveniles were established in each of the types of prison.

      Since 1 January 2000, Act No. 169/199 Coll., on Imprisonment has been in force, which establishes a separate type of prison for juveniles - i.e. for convicted young people under 18. Older persons can also be put in this type of prison, if ruled so by the court of law in compliance with Article 81(2) of the Criminal Act.

Tables 25-22 and 25-23. Extraordinary events and use of legal institutes for convicted persons

      Suspension of term - the prison manager may suspend, as a reward, the term of imprisonment of a convicted person for up to 20 days per calendar year, providing the persons fulfils the activity scheme successfully and the purpose of the term is achieved. The suspension is included in the term of imprisonment.

       The prison manager may suspend the term of imprisonment of a convicted person for up to 10 days per calendar year on pressing family grounds. The suspension is included in the term of imprisonment.

       It is also the prison manager's right to suspend the term of imprisonment for a necessary period of time to a prisoner who has to urgently receive medical attention that cannot be provided in the prison or a specialised health establishment administered by the Prison Service Institution. The suspension not exceeding 30 days per calendar year is included in the term of imprisonment, unless the convicted person caused damage to his/her health wilfully.

      Free movement - form of work activity carried out by convicted persons outside the prison.

      Prison leave - form of reward the prison manager can give to a convicted person for up to 24 hours in connection with a visit or the activity scheme (attendance at cultural, sports and religious events), during which the convicted person does not have to be supervised by Prison Service staff.

      Conditional discharge - a convicted person can be discharged on probation, under the conditions stipulated in Articles 61 to 64 of the Criminal Act, if, when in prison, the person shows remedy by good behaviour and an honest attitude to work and can be expected to lead a law-abiding citizen's life in the future, or the court accepts guarantees that remedy of the convicted will be completed.

      Relocation to another prison type - if a convicted person shows efforts for remedy by behaving well and working honestly for a rather long period of time, then he/she may be moved to another type of prison with a less severe regime. However, if he/she violates prison rules and discipline in a systematic and weighty manner or commits a crime during his/her term of imprisonment, he/she may be transferred to a prison with more severe regime.

Table 25-24 to 25-27. Traffic accidents

      Accidents in road transport - only the numbers of accidents resulting in death or injury are given.

      Accidents in air transport - data on civilian air transport only.

      Killed person - person who died on the spot, during transport to hospital, or within 30 days at the latest. (The data comply with recommendation of the UN Economic Commission for Europe and are reported in most EU countries).

      Severe injury, light injury - classified by medical doctor.

       The data on traffic accidents in railway transport were taken over from the Headquarters of the Czech Railways, while those on traffic accidents in road transport from the Police Headquarters of the CR. The data on accidents in inland waterway transport and in air transport were provided by the State Navigation Authority and the Civilian Aviation Institute, respectively.

Table 25-28 to 25-30. Events handled by fire brigades

      Fires - indicator showing fire-fighting responses to any undesirable combustion, in which people or animals were killed or injured, or property values damaged. Any undesirable combustion posing an imminent threat to persons, animals, property or the environment is also considered a fire.

      Traffic accidents - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units in a traffic accident - collision of transport means - requiring rescue extrication operations or disposal of traffic accident consequences. If other type of activity prevails in an action of the units, e.g. due to leakage of hazardous substances to the environment, that action is classified according to the prevailing character. Any action involving traffic accidents with subsequent fire is considered a fire. Actions in which fire brigade units only recovered vehicles from areas off the road (towing wrecks, vehicles getting off road, etc.) or cleared away only minor consequences of traffic accidents (road cleaning or removal of leakage - i.e., of fuel, lubricant, coolant spilled from vehicles, etc.), are also classified as traffic accidents.

      Natural disasters - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units due to an emergency caused by adversely acting forces and phenomena arising from natural influences that jeopardise lives, health, property or the environment - floods, spates, heavy rains, snow, ice, windstorms, landslides, earthquakes etc. (connected with the announcement of the state of emergency, degree of flood activity etc.) and where fire brigade units perform relief and disposal operations.

      Leakage of hazardous chemicals - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units in emergencies including undesirable leakage of hazardous chemical substances, crude oil products inclusive (during production, transport or handling), and of other substances. The action is aimed to limit or reduce the risk of uncontrolled leakage of flammable, explosive, caustic, poisonous, harmful, radioactive and other hazardous substances, petroleum products, and possibly other substances, to the environment (natural gas, acids and salts, lye, ammonia, etc.) including serious accidents according to Article 2 of the Act on Prevention of Serious Accidents. (Hazardous substance - see Act No. 157/1998 Coll., on Chemical Substances and Preparations and on Changes of Some Other Acts as last amended).

      Leakage of petroleum product (oil accident) - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units in emergencies involving leakage of crude oil products only (petrol, diesel or lubricating oils). Leakage of these substances from motor vehicles due to traffic accidents is classified as "traffic accidents".

      Technical accidents - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units to eliminate risks or very hazardous conditions of a large extent, or to eliminate substantial consequences to health of people and animals and to property (except natural disaster), e.g. building collapse.

      Technical assistance - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units to eliminate risks or hazardous conditions of rather a small extent, except technological assistance and traffic accident, e.g.: rescuing persons from lifts; emergency opening of apartments; removal of obstacles from roads and other areas; opening of locked rooms; removal of fallen trees, electric conductors, etc.; ventilation of rooms; rescue of persons and animals; water pumping, shutting-off and supplying; assistance in search of booby traps; provisional or other repairs, recovery of objects and rescue of persons (including water operations); concentration or radiation measurements.

      Technological assistance - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units aimed to eliminate risk or hazardous conditions in technological operation of plants.

      Other assistance - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units other than technical accidents, technical assistance or technological assistance, for example, transport or transfer of a patient or physician, monitoring of watercourses, control of road practicability (except natural disaster) etc., even on other service demand (both directly and indirectly provided assistance).

      Radiation accident and emergency - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units in emergencies involving unacceptable leakage of radioactive substances or ionising radiation (for definition see Article 2 of Act No. 18/1997 Coll., and Article 5 of the Decree No. 219/1997 Coll., of the State Office for Nuclear Safety).

      Other emergencies - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units in emergencies such as epidemic or infection, safe removal of suspicious packages as well as all actions and accidents not classified under any of the above-mentioned types of actions of fire brigade units.

      False alarm - indicator showing responses of fire brigade units to reported fire or another emergency that was not confirmed.

      Before 2002, the following indicators were also kept record of as events handled by the fire brigade units:

      Water operations - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units in surface water.

      Water pumping - indicator showing actions of fire brigade units to pump out undesirable water of external and internal spaces.

      Other technical actions - indicator showing activities of fire brigade units not classified under any of the indicators above (e.g., transport or transfer of a patient or physician - (both directly and indirectly provided assistance).

      These actions of fire brigade units were reclassified and have been reported as technical or other assistance since 2002.