NCJ Number
79750
Date Published
1978
Length
74 pages
Annotation
This report evaluates the impact on sentencing and crime rates of the Multiple Offender Project in Jacksonville, Fla., which used LEAA funds to promote aggressive and speedy prosecution of identified career criminals.
Abstract
An overview of LEAA-sponsored habitual offender prosecution projects throughout the country is followed by a description of Florida's subsequent offender statute. Because implementation of this law required a substantial commitment of prosecutorial resources and was costly, it was not used until a 1975 LEAA grant allowed the State's Attorney to establish a separate division for multiple offenders. This evaluation compared prosecutions of a random sample of 81 convicted multiple offenders in 1974 before the project's inception with a random sample of 131 convicted multiple offenders in 1977. Followup data on recidivism in the 1974 sample during this 3-year period were also collected. Analysis revealed that the project's average maximum institutional sentence per convicted multiple offender in the 1977 group was 5.5 years, compared to 3.32 years in the 1974 sample. The project's policy of not allowing plea bargaining protracted the prosecution of multiple offenders by requiring one-third to one-half more time to process defendants from arrest to conviction than the office's other felony divisions. Followup data on the 1974 offenders indicated a considerable amount of recidivism for those persons released from prison after serving out their sentences. Statistics from the Uniform Crime Reports for 1973-1977 show that the number of reported offenses for burglary and larceny, the crime most frequently prosecuted by the multiple offender project, decreased to preproject levels or below. It seems logical to conjecture that the incarceration of increasing numbers of multiple offenders over this period was responsible in some degree for the decline. Interviews with knowledgeable officials indicated that the project was respected by the local criminal justice system and that the State Attorney intends to expand the concept to other divisions. Recommendations to improve administration and cost effectiveness are outlined. Tables and 14 references are included. (Executive summary modified)