NCJ Number
143373
Date Published
1977
Length
22 pages
Annotation
This report presents findings from a study of recidivism patterns and the prosecutory response to them in Washington, D.C.; implications for prosecutorial strategies are discussed.
Abstract
Using data from the computerized PROMIS (Prosecutor's Management Information System) files of the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Columbia, the study found that a disproportionately large volume of the street crime cases in the Superior Court was accounted for by a small number of repeat offenders; a mere 7 percent of the arrestees accounted for almost 25 percent of the court's case load over a period of approximately 5 years. By applying rigorous statistical tools to the PROMIS data, the study attempted to determine whether or not prosecutors were making special efforts in the felony cases that involved repeat offenders for the years 1973 and 1974. The analyses did not show that prosecutors were devoting extra efforts to cases that involved repeat offenders. This pattern changed in 1976, however, with the implementation of Operation Doorstop, which is staffed by four experienced prosecutors and six police investigators, who focus exclusively on the serious, habitual criminal. 5 exhibits