Barbara Boland, Wayne Logan, Ronald Sones, William Martin, Abt Associates

May 1, 1988    NCJ 106990

This series provides statistics on what happens to criminal cases between arrest and incarceration and explains the prosecutor's role in the felony disposition process. Text figures show typical outcomes of 100 felony arrests brought by the police for prosecution and for 100 felony arrests that resulted in indictment. Text tables show participating jurisdictions and the dispositions of felony arrests presented for prosecution, filed in court as misdemeanors or felonies, and that resulted in felony indictment. Four tables indicate the percent of all felony arrests indicted, incarceration rates for cases that result in conviction, case-processing time for cases filed and cases indicted by type of final disposition, and caseload definitions and data sources. A narrative overview of the data outlines what happens to felony arrests. Among the conclusions are that once cases reach the felony court, relatively few are dismissed; prosecutors differ in how they handle felony arrests at the three stages of felony prosecution; and prosecutors vary in whether they drop felony charges before or after court charges are filed. Appended case-processing statistics by crime type and descriptions of the felony disposition process in each of the 37 participating jurisdictions. 2 figures and 8 tables

Part of the Prosecutors in State Courts Series

Full report (PDF)

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