The investigation authorities screened 119.945 (+4,4%) crimes, which meant the increase of work for one investigator from 63,9 to 65,7 reports a year. The accusation was announced to 101.756 (-999) persons. There were 121.019 (+3.042) criminal offences settled in total, 72.810 cases were executed by the proposal for bringing charges. The unfinished state (the number of unfinished reports on one investigator) decreased from 10,6 to 10,3 reports. 11.390 (+27) persons were put in custody by the judge on the basis of the investigator s proposal. 11.885 cases of persons in custody were settled by relaying to the state prosecutor or by releasing to freedom, 2.661 persons remained in custody in total until December 31, 1997.
The speed of investigation increased according to both the share of criminal offences closed by the proposal for charge and the average duration of investigation of one criminal case in days. The share of crimes closed by the proposal for charge within 2 months increased of 3,9%, within 6 months of 2,2%. The average duration of investigation of one criminal case shortened of 14,4 days, i.e. on 81,2 days. The speed of the investigator s progress before the initiation of the prosecution in cases, when the announcement of accusation was made, did not change and it represented 14,6 days, in cases when the criminal offence was postponed, it had been shortened of 9,3 days on 45,7 days. The average duration of custody was lower of 10,2 days and it represented 106,9 days. The quality of investigation assessed according to the share of criminal offences returned by the state prosecutor has been for several years already under the limit of 10%, in the course of 1997 it was stabilized on the share about 7%. The state prosecutors and the courts returned 4.829 files in total.
The investigation units of the capital of Prague achieved the best results as far as the number of settled criminal cases and the number of registered cases for investigation are concerned. The investigation units of the Eastern Bohemia and Southern Moravia have achieved good results regarding these points of views constantly.
The number of cases, when the investigator did not undertake the proposal for initiation of the prosecution from the police corps because of the incompleteness of source materials.
The number of expert opinions and interpreters actions decreased (-5,6%), however the total expenses slightly increased from 116.730 CZK to 116.998 CZK.
There were 459 criminal cases in the stage of investigation and documentation in the Office of the Documentation and Investigation of Crimes of Communism till December 31, 1997. The prosecution was initiated in 43 cases of above mentioned ones and the accusation was announced to 99 persons (26 persons were accused and 1 person was jurisdically sentenced in 1997).
The average duration of the criminal proceedings at the district courts increased of 1,4 month, the average duration of the custody proceedings has not changed (4,0 months). The reasons seem to be the permanently high numbers of criminal offences at district courts. In 1997 the district courts settled 81.434 (+5.728) cases against 104.858 persons. The priority targets of the Ministry of Justice are the speeding-up the proceedings at courts and the decline of the number of unfinished criminal cases.
7.736 (-151) accused persons were in custody and 13.824 (+851) prosecuted persons were arrested, i. e. 21.560 (+700) prisoners in total till December 31, 1997. The share of prisoners of the Czech Republic nationality was 16.288 (+952) of the total number, 3.324 (-355) prisoners were foreigners and 1.948 (+130) prisoners have not had yet the decision of nationality either of the Czech Republic or the Slovak Republic.
In spite of the fact that the custody prisons (117%) and normal prisons (112%) were totally full there were not any mass riots of prisoners registered. There were not any escapes either of accused persons from custody or prosecuted criminals from the guarded prisons and strictly guarded prisons. 31 (-4) sentenced persons left unguarded objects (working places). 62 (-18) officers of the prison service were assaulted on duty and off duty as well.
The dangerous nature of prisoners has been increasing according to the share of criminals sentenced for crimes concerning the use, production and distribution of drugs. The number of these prisoners was 610 (+154). The insufficient employment has still remained as the problem. It represented 43,0% (-0,5%) sentenced persons of the working ability.