NCJ Number
93412
Date Published
1982
Length
149 pages
Annotation
This 1982 legislative report on the California Career Criminal Program contains cumulative results covering the period from March 1978 to May 1982. The Program is meeting its goal to convict and send repeat offenders to State prison with significant sentences.
Abstract
California has established a statewide Career Criminal Prosecution (CCP) program, aimed at specific types of felons responsible for a disproportionate amount of crime. The CCP program has a conviction rate of 92.8 percent, notably higher than the rate prior to the program's inception. The program's conviction rate on the most serious charge is 82 percent, up from the preprogram rate of 60 percent. The average sentence length is also at a new high. Many fewer offenders now obtain pretrial release. Vertical prosecution, which produces higher conviction rates, is in use in almost one-third of the cases. The program also succeeded in reducing the prosecutor's workload, reducing the use of plea arguments, and increasing the use of enhancements. The programs has not decreased the amount of time it takes to prosecute a career criminal case. Because of the success of the CCP, the California legislature should continue to fund the program. The Office of Criminal Justice Planning should request an Attorney General's opinion on the continued use of partial vertical prosecution. Although more successful than nonvertical prosecution, partial vertical prosecution is not as effective as completely vertical prosecution. Tables, figures, and notes accompany the test. Seven appendixes include copies of related legislation, program guidelines, steering committee memberships, project summaries, and a copy of the evaluation data form.