NCJ Number
130889
Date Published
1991
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This statistical analysis of felony case dispositions in Nevada determines why Nevada's probation population has grown so slowly compared to national trends and the extent to which offenders are being sentenced to prison when they could be sentenced to alternative intermediate sanctions.
Abstract
To analyze current sentencing practices, the study examined a computer tape of all felony convictions recorded on the Probation and Parole Information System since the system was implemented. Not only does the system provide all sentencing data for felony and gross misdemeanor cases, it also provides data on the levels of supervision provided and termination data. Findings indicate that probation in Nevada has grown at a far slower rate than for the Nation as a whole, primarily because of mandatory-prison-term legislation and an increasing prison disposition rate. The scores used by probation officers to make court disposition recommendations apparently influence the courts' sentencing decisions; however, the instrument produces a higher number of prison-sentence recommendations than are granted by the courts. There is considerable disparity between Nevada's two major district courts in their prison dispositions and prison sentence lengths. Recommendations are offered for increasing the use of probation in Nevada. 6 tables