NCJ Number
225804
Date Published
2007
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes data received by the U.S. Sentencing Commission on the 73,062 new Federal criminal cases processed in fiscal year 2007.
Abstract
Among these cases, 72,865 involved an individual defendant, and 197 involved a corporation or other type of “organizational” defendant. Although the number of cases involving individual defendants has steadily increased over time, in fiscal year 2007, the increase was only 0.39 percent compared to such cases processed in fiscal year 2006. Eight-one percent of the cases involved drugs, immigration offenses, firearms offenses, and fraud. Although most of the offenders were U.S. citizens, the percentage of noncitizen offenders increased steadily over the last 10 year. Most noncitizens were convicted of immigration offenses (58.4 percent), with drug-trafficking composing 27.7 percent of the offenses committed by noncitizens. There were more Hispanic offenders (43 percent) in fiscal year 2007 than of any other racial or ethnic background. Virtually all (84.5 percent) of the Hispanic offenders were sentenced for either drug or immigration offenses. Almost half of the offenders had not completed high school, and only 5.9 percent had completed college. The average age of Federal offenders in fiscal year 2007 was 35 years old. Just over 95 percent of all Federal offenders pled guilty as defendants. Most offenders received a sentence of incarceration, with only 7.7 percent receiving probation. Just over 95 percent of offenders sentenced to incarceration were also sentenced to serve a period of supervised release. The average length of supervised release was 42 months. A fine was imposed in 12.3 percent of all cases involving an individual offender. Fines were most commonly imposed in antitrust, environmental, food and drug, and drug possession cases. Restitution to the victims was ordered in 14.3 percent of all cases that involved an individual offender. 15 notes