NCJ Number
178065
Date Published
1997
Length
143 pages
Annotation
This report provides a statistical summary of felony sentencing in Oregon courts during 1994 and compares felony sentences imposed in 1986 and 1994.
Abstract
Offense data address type of crime and offense of conviction, sentence type, probation conditions, and future capacity implications. Historic comparisons for 1986-94 cover offenders by crime type, sentence dispositions, trial rate, and offender demographics (age, gender, and race). A separate section details offender demographics (age, gender, and race) for felony offenders sentenced in 1994. Data on sentencing guidelines application focus on the number of offenders, the imprisonment rate, and sentences that involved departure from the guidelines. Data on "special topics" address sentencing pertinent to drug offenders; motor vehicle theft; sex offenders; homicide; and ballot measure 11, which sets minimum prison sentences and eliminates earned time credit for certain offenses committed on or after April 1, 1995. Regarding sentencing practice, person offenses were most likely to result in a prison sentence (48 percent were sentenced to prison). The lowest percentage of prison sentences resulted from driving offenses (7 percent). Nineteen percent of offenders convicted of property offenses as their most serious offense were sentenced to prison, and 18 percent of those convicted of drug offenses received prison sentences. Among the 10 most common offenses, burglary I and sexual abuse I were most likely to result in a prison sentence. Extensive tabular data and appended overview of the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, sentencing guidelines, and offense groupings used in the report