Case Study of the Careers in Crime Interception Project of Greater Indianapolis - Marion County, Indiana

• NCJ Number: 73066
• Author(s): J J McDonnell
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 52 pages
• Grant Number(s): 76-TA-99-0030(S1)
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: Abt Associates, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Program/Project Evaluation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Prepared for the National Legal Data Center, Inc.

Annotation

This report describes and evaluates the career criminal program established by the Marion County, Ind., prosecutor's office.

Abstract

The program aimed to provide more concentrated prosecution of target crimes involving career criminals in order to eliminate the career criminal and reduce the crime rate. Target crimes included aggravated assault, robbery, burglary, and drug-related offenses. The project staff consisted of 20 full-time personnel organized into three major units: a screening unit, a trial unit, and a support services unit. Criteria for assessing program effectiveness included processing time (number of days from arrest to disposition), conviction rate, and severity of sentence. As of September 15, 1978, the project had designated 818 defendants as career criminals and had completed prosecution of 685 of them. Half of the cases were disposed of within 147 days, and nine-tenths within 299 days. The overall conviction rate was 69 percent. The average sentence was 10.6 years. A description of career criminal projects' histories, a description of the Marion County program's structure and operation, tables, footnotes, and an appendix presenting plea bargaining guidelines are included.