NCJ Number
247374
Date Published
June 2012
Length
23 pages
Annotation
In compliance with a legislative mandate, this report provides data on arrests for offenses in New York State defined by law as "violent felony offenses" (VFOs), as well as data on prosecutions in superior court for persons charged with a VFO, and the disposition of such cases in superior court for 2006 to 2010.
Abstract
During the 5-year period covered by this report, the number of VFO convictions that resulted in a prison sentence increased substantially. This increase occurred primarily due to changes in Penal Law Article 265 (firearms and other dangerous weapons) offenses, which became effective in November 2006. This change elevated the crime of possession of a loaded firearm from a Class D violent felony offense to a Class C violent felony offense, thus causing an increase in the likelihood of a prison sentence. Statewide, prison sentences for persons convicted of VFOs increased by 14.6 percent while reported violent crime decreased 9.6 percent and VFO arrests decreased 3.1 percent. VFO indictments increased 0.9 percent, and VFO convictions increased 2.2 percent. The data source for this report was the Division of Criminal Justice Services' Computerized Criminal History (CCH) system. Charts and tables