Sentencing and Time Served in the District of Columbia Prior to "Truth-in-Sentencing"

The report provides data on: (1) the characteristics of felons sentenced by the District of Columbia Superior Court; (2) the types, lengths, and variations of sentences imposed; (3) the length of stay served in prison by those committed into the DC Department of Corrections; (4) parole release decisions; and (5) the potential effects of new sentencing practices implemented in response to the National Capital Revitalization and Self-Government Improvement Act of 1997. The Urban Institute conducted this study and constructed a database of felony case processing in the District during the period 1993 to 1998. Data were obtained from several DC criminal justice agencies, including DC Superior Court, the Pretrial Services Agency, the DC Department of Corrections, and the DC Parole Commission. The records of individual defendants were linked across these databases to the extent possible and an integrated database on felony case processing in the District was created and used in this report. The report's major findings include characteristics of sentenced felons; distribution of offenses of convicted defendants; types of sentences imposed; lengths of sentences imposed; proportion of imposed sentences served in prison; and parole release decisions. Notes, figures, tables, appendixes