NCJ Number
77278
Date Published
1979
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study examined, through the use of relevant statistical information, how California's criminal justice system has responded to crimes of sexual assault from 1976 through 1978.
Abstract
Data were obtained from the State's Department of Justice, Bureau of Criminal Statistics, on the number of arrests and subsequent dispositions for 12 offenses: forcible rape, assault to forcibly rape, attempt to forcibly rape, aiding or abetting a rape, forcible sodomy, attempted forcible sodomy, assault to commit forced sodomy, oral copulation, lewd and lascivious behavior, annoying and molesting a child, incest, and indecent exposure. The results of a data analysis showed that more persons were arrested for forcible rape than for any other sex offense. Most cases were disposed of outside the court, either by law enforcement's decision to release, the prosecutors' decision not to charge, or by a plea of guilty from the accused. For offenses with more than 100 arrests, between 7 (indecent exposure) and 37 percent (rape) of the cases were dropped prior to court disposition. Guilty pleas were a major factor in many other cases that did not go to trial; for instance, only 21 percent of all persons convicted, who were arrested for forcible rape, were found guilty by a court or jury. On the whole, convictions were obtained in about 40 percent of the forcible rape cases, 49 percent of the assault to forcibly rape cases, 54 percent of the oral copulation cases, and 63 percent of the lewd and lascivious behavior cases. A large proportion of all persons convicted in either the lower or superior courts were sentenced to a combination of probation and jail, while straight probation was also a frequent sentence. Commitment to a State hospital occurred only seldom. Data tables are presented.