Road ratbags and the violent dominating Tasmania's courts

Matters involving 10,789 people were resolved in those courts in the 2019-20 financial year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

Thirty-six per cent of the defendants (3678 people) whose matters were finalised had principal offences involving traffic and vehicle regulatory matters.

Assault matters were the principal offences of 18 per cent of the defendants (1861 people).

Well back in third spot were the 8 per cent of defendants (863) whose main matters involved offences against justice.

Of the 10,789 defendants:

Most of the defendants were male (76) per cent.

The median (mid-point) age of defendants was 33.

Ninety per cent of the defendants (9239) had their matters finalised in the Magistrates Court.

More than three quarters of defendants (6527) with guilty outcomes received non-custodial orders as their main sentences.

Those included 4323 defendants fined a median amount of $400.

Twenty-three per cent (1995) were sentenced to custodial orders.

Those included periods in custody in a correctional institution (1062 defendants), fully suspended sentences (824) and custody in the community (106).

The median length of sentences for periods in correctional institutions was five months.

Nationally, 486,422 defendants had their matters finalised in the criminal courts.

That was a decrease of 16 per cent compared to the previous year.

The ABS said the introduction of coronavirus-related restrictions in March 2020 affected the number of defendants having their matters finalised in the criminal courts.

"Court operations were affected by temporary closures in courts across all jurisdictions and the deferral of some cases," it said.

Meanwhile, the ABS said, police proceeded against fewer people.