NCJ Number
99596
Date Published
1985
Length
45 pages
Annotation
This study examined the number of offenders who committed Federal crimes involving firearms, the sentences imposed, and the impact that parole or 'good time' had on reducing the imprisonment period.
Abstract
The study reviewed court records of 4,562 Federal offenders randomly selected from the population (18,310) of those sentenced and confined as of June 1983. The Parole Commission's case files were examined for 805 sampled offenders convicted of firearms violations. Twenty-nine percent (5,270) of the offenders committed crimes which violated firearms statutes. Of these, 81 percent (4,259) were charged with firearms violations, and about 76 percent (3,231) of those charged were convicted. The median sentence imposed was 180 months compared to 60 months for nonfirearms violators. The median time served or to be served for the firearms violators granted parole was 72 months. For firearms violators denied parole, the median time served or to be served was 44 months, and the median sentence imposed was 60 months. Appendixes contain Federal guidelines for parole decisionmaking and various data from the study. Tabular and graphic data are provided. (Author abstract modified)