Where can I find prosecution statistics?

[dlw99]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts

Not sure how I got on their list, but I now get a copy of our local court reports via e-mail daily.

The headline is "Look who got busted!"

After checking out the arraignments and dispositions for a few months now, it seems that a rather large number of defendants in our small town are found not guilty, or their charges are dismissed.

I've heard a lot of horror stories about bully/abusive cops, but my experience with them has primarily been with cops who are just sort of lazy and/or not
very bright.

My question is, how do I find out the rate of convictions from charges stemming from our local police department?

Our courthouse deals with multiple town departments, but I am only interested in the one in my town. Thanks!

 

[CdwJava]

Even if you were to look at stats on cases filed and convictions, you are not going to get a picture of whether these dropped cases are through incompetence or not as a great number of factors come into play.

Some cases might be forwarded to a DA as part of a CYA program. Many domestic violence or child abuse reports may be weak but passed on the DA either because of state law or because the agency is trying to cover their bases. If the case lacks sufficient evidence to go to trial, even if there was sufficient probable cause to support an arrest or a complaint, then the case will not go forward.

You can always call the prosecutor's office and see if they have those numbers. They probably do not keep such figures, but maybe they do.

 

[Some Random Guy]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Massachusetts
My question is, how do I find out the rate of convictions from charges stemming from our local police department?

I know that in my area such stats would be worthless. The local newspaper notices on convictions/sentencing routinely include listings like "John Q. Public pled guilty to on a count of class B burglary and in exchange the charges of possession of burglary tools, possession of a controlled substance and 4 counts of Class C burglary were dismisssed."

As stated before, go to the source (the county prosecutor), and see if any such records are available.

 

[quincy]

Many counties will compile and keep conviction rate statistics, but I agree with both CdwJava and Some Random Guy that these statistics often present a skewed picture.

First, it is up to a prosecutor to decide whether to prosecute a case or not, and this alone can lead to a skewing of statistics. A low conviction rate can be the result of a high number of prosecutions of cases. Even when there is not enough evidence to support a conviction, the prosecutions alone could lead to lower crime rates in an area. A high conviction rate, on the other hand, may be the result of a low number of prosecutions, leaving many crimes unpunished that could potentially result in a conviction. The prosecutor may be pursuing only those "slam-dunk" cases that are sure to result in a conviction, to keep the conviction rate unnaturally high.

Prosecutors can use these conviction rate statistics in different ways. A prosecutor may use a high conviction rate to get a defendant to plead guilty. A defendant may decide, based on the high conviction rate statistics, that he will not fare well in a trial so he agees to accept a plea agreement. If a prosecutor is an elected official or running for a political office, a high conviction rate may be something that is touted in political literature, so this can make a difference in how each case in approached.

In other words, statistical information alone will not tell you much. It must be used carefully.

That said, for good statistical information, if your county does not keep conviction rate statistics, you can visit the Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics website - bjs.ojp.usdog.gov - although the statistical data may not be as up-to-date as you want.

For some heavy reading, but a good analysis of how conviction rate statistics are used, there is an (older) article from the Oxford Journal, American Law Economic Review, "Convictions versus Conviction Rates: The Prosecutor's Choice" - aler.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2009/07/08/aler.ahp007.full.

But you will want to check your county first, to see if the data you are looking for is compiled and available there. Just keep in mind that it may not give you a complete or accurate picture of what is going on in your town.