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1 Patrick A. Langan & John M. Dawson, Felony Sentences in State Courts, 1988 1 (1988)

handle is hein.death/felsc0001 and id is 1 raw text is: U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Statistics Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin F1 Sentences in State Courts, 1988 By Patrick A. Langan, Ph.D. and John M. Dawson BJS Statisticians In 1988 112,000 persons were convicted of drug trafficking, according to the latest national survey of felony sentencing in State courts. That number is about 50% more than the number convicted in 1986, the year the survey was last done. An estimated 41% of drug traffickers received a State prison sentence In 1988, up from 37% in 1986. Other results Include the following: 9 Drug traffickers (17%) and drug posses- sors (17%) together made up an estimated 34% of felons convicted in State courts in 1988. Violent offenders, consisting of murderers (1%), rapists (20/6), robbers (6%), and those convicted of aggravated assault (6%), together made up about 15%. Bur- glars (15%) and larcenists (14%) made up most of the rest. e State courts sentenced 44% of convicted felons to a State prison, 25% to a local jail (usually for a year or less), 30% to straight probation, and 1% to other nonincarceration sentences. • State courts sentenced to death 2% of those convicted of murder or nonnegligent manslaughter. * The average sentence to local jail was 7 months. The average probation sentence was almost 3 years and 7 months. December 1990 This report, from the National Judicial Reporting Program of the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), presents results of the second nationally representative survey of felony sentencing In State courts. Drawing upon data collected from 300 counties for 1988, it addresses such questions as - - How many persons In the United States were convicted of a felony In the year? -What sentences did felons convicted of a violent crime receive? * Felons sentenced to a State prison in 1988 had an average sentence of nearly 6 years and 4 months but were expected to serve a third of that sentence - or about 2 years - before release. e About 79% of felons had one felony conviction offense, 15% had two, and the remaining 6% had three or more. Among defendants convicted of one felony, 39% received a prison sentence; among those with two conviction offenses, 56%; and among those with three or more, 66%. * A fine was imposed on 13% of convicted felons, restitution on 12/, community service on 1%, and treatment was ordered for 6%. * Of the total number of felons sentenced in 1988, 5% had been found guilty by a jury, 4% had been found guilty by a judge, and 91% had pleaded guilty. - What was the likelihood of a prison sentence for a person convicted of a felony? - How many persons did juries convict of a felony? BJS gratefully acknowledges the many State courts and prosecutors that participated in the National Judicial Reporting Program. Their cooperation and assistance made this report possible. Steven D. Dillingham, Ph.D. Director e Average time from arrest to sentencing in 1988 was about 7 months, or an estimated 2 weeks longer than In 1986. * Large urban counties disproportionately accounted for felony convictions nationwide -the 75 largest urban counties had 37% of the Nation's residents but 47% of its felony convictions. * Of the felons convicted in 1988, 57% were white, 41% were black, and 2% were of other races. Males were 87% of the total. The average age of convicted felons was 29 years. National Judicial Reporting Program Until now American criminal justice sta- tistics have lacked national information on prosecution and adjudication. The National Judicial Reporting Program (NJRP) was created to help close that gap. For its initial 'iJ (6

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