NCJ Number
240445
Date Published
January 2011
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the Delaware Statistical Analysis Center's (DelSAC's) findings from its study of 2006 felony case processing.
Abstract
This study provides statewide data on all 2006 felony arrestees in the Delaware and tracks them to either being reduced to misdemeanors or sentenced. Results show that 43 percent of the arrested felons are convicted of a felony, while overall 69 percent are convicted of either a felony or a misdemeanor. For all of these convictions, only 11 percent are sentenced to prison for terms of one year or more; however 47 percent are sentenced to some type of incarceration (including prison, jail or time served). For those felons being arrested for violent crimes and convicted, 40 percent are sentenced to prison; when taking into account all types of incarceration, the rate is 80 percent. Fifty percent of the felony arrestees have two or more prior felony arrests in their criminal histories. At the time of disposition, Superior Court defendants were represented by the Public Defender's Office in about 60 percent of cases; another 15 percent were represented by contract or court appointed attorneys. About 23 percent had private representation while about 0.6 percent of defendants represented themselves; defense type was unknown in about 1.2 percent of disposed Superior Court cases. In Superior Court convictions, pre-sentence investigations were ordered in about 13 percent of guilty plea cases. For bench trials, 45 percent had pre-sentence investigations; for jury trials, it numbered about 84 percent. For 2006 felony defendants in all courts, fines totaling almost $1.2 million were ordered to be paid, while almost $11 million in fines were suspended. Restitution amounts were identified for 1,840 defendants and numbered about $9.4 million. Tables, figure, and appendix