}ST 2%. 11; F 33
U.S. Department of Justice
Bureau of Justice Statistics
1,8- H-13'
According to a recent census of the
Nation's 3,235 State felony courts, 1.5
million felony cases were filed in 1985;
an equal number of felony cases were
disposed. About one million felony
cases--69% of all dispositions--resulted
in conviction.
Other findings include:
e The 75 largest counties (those with
populations of about 600,000 persons or
more) accounted for about half of the
reported crime and 43% of all arrests in
the United States, but only about 28%
of all felony court filings and
convictions. These counties averaged
about 5,500 felony case filings each.
e The smallest counties (the 2,650
counties with populations of less than
100,000 persons) accounted for 16% of
reported crime, but 23% of all arrests
and about 38% of all felony court
filings and convictions.
e About half the counties had fewer
than 100 felony case filings and fewer
than 70 convictions each.
e Arrests in the South were more likely
to result in prosecution and conviction
in a felony court than arrests in other
regions. For every 1,000 arrests in the
South, there were 143 felony court con-
victions; in the West, the number of
felony court convictions per 1,000
arrests was 58; in the Northeast, 60;
and in the Midwest, 78.
Introduction
A gap currently exists in national
statistics on crime and justice. Sta-
tistics on crime rates and arrests are
routinely available through various
This bulletin, a summary of the
major findings of the 1985 census
of State felony courts, continues
BJS' efforts to develop data on the
Nation's courts. While at present
we have extensive data on crime
and arrests, on the one hand, and
on correctional facilities and in-
mates, on the other, our know-
ledge of what actually happens
between arrest and imprisonment
is limited. It has been a major
effort of BJS to remedy this
deficiency.
Two previous BJS reports,
Felony Sentencing in 18 Local
Jurisdictions (June 1985) and
Sentencing Outcomes in 28 Felony
August 1987
Courts, 1985 (July 1987), have begun
to provide data on felony courts and
sentencing patterns. This report,
and a detailed national survey of 100
State felony courts that is currently
being conducted, will further en-
hance our knowledge of a vital part
of the criminal justice system.
The Bureau gratefully acknow-
ledges the participation and coopera-
tion of the felony courts of the 50
States and the District of Columbia,
without whom this bulletin and
future reports on the Nation's courts
would not be possible.
Steven R. Schlesinger
Director
sources, such as the National Crime
Survey, sponsored by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics (BJS), and the FBI's
Uniform Crime Reports. Statistics on
the number of persons sent to prison,
also published by BJS, are available in
the National Prisoner Statistics. No
national statistics exist, however, that
Show what happens between arrest and
imprisonment.
Recently, BJS began an effort to de-
velop statistics on the Nation's courts.
In 1986 BJS obtained data on all 3,235
felony courts in the 50 States and the
District of Columbia. The U.S. Census
Bureau collected the data, primarily
through a mail questionnaire which BJS
helped design with assistance from the
National Center for State Courts. The
data consist mostly of information
about the volume of cases State felony
courts disposed in 1985.
The information from that question-
naire has been used to select a repre-
sentative sample of 100 counties to
participate in a more extensive national
survey of felony courts. Results of that
sample survey, due to be completed in
1988, will provide detailed information
about the sentences that convicted
felons receive.
This report details the results of the
1985 mail questionnaire. It also pre-
sents information on the felony laws of
the 50 States and the District of
Columbia derived from a separate sur-
vey of State criminal codes conducted
for BJS by Abt Associates, Inc.
*See Logan, Wayne A., Lindsey S. Stellwagen, and
Patrick A. Langan, Felony Laws of the 50 States
and the District of Columbia, 1986, Bureau of
Justice Statistics, NCJ-105066, 1987.





*zº State felony courts
; : * ~ *
Table 1. What States call their felony courts Felony courts dispose of cases o
-- through conviction, acquittal, dismissal,
tº sº. In the United States there are 3,128 Name given to felony court or some other means. In 1985 about 1.5
: ; *... 4 tº e e º - e g iº e & e
counties and county equivalents (par- Circuit District Superior million felony cases were disposed by
g te $ a $. State Court Court Court Other ion's f
ishes, boroughs, independent cities, and the Nation's felony courts, an average
the District of Columbia). Nearly all of Alabama; X of nearly 500 per county. Twenty
them have State-level courts that coiºh ºvii) X counties disposed over 10,000 cases
duct trials for all types of felony Arizona X each. Half of all counties had less than
cases. Sixteen States call these courts..., | }. A * 100 dispositions each, and no felony
© tº : “”; ; ; ; ; California. §§ X tº § tº
circuit courts; 15 States call them dis-, " ' | * * cases were disposed in 31 counties. The
trict courts; 13 States and the District º ...tº X 75 largest counties averaged about
wº & e...: #####%; X e § 4 º
of Columbia call them superior courtsº; ºº X 5,300 felony court dispositions.
2 States use other names; and 4 States Dist. of Columbia X
use a combination of names (table 1). Florida X Nationwide, 69% of felony cases
Georgia X were disposed through conviction.
Collectively, these circuit, district, Hawaii X Felony court convictions numbered one
and superior courts form the Nation's i. X X million in 1985, and the average per
State felony courts.” Felony courts are Indiana X X county was a little over 300. Four
distributed throughout the 3,128 juris- counties had over 10,000 convictions
tº a tº Iowa X g
dictions as follows: each. Half of all counties had less than
Kansas X © A ſº p
Kentucky X 70 convictions, and 41 counties had no
Number of Percent Louisiana X felony court convictions. The 75
felony courts Number of of Maine X largest counties averaged about 3,900
in county counties counties Maryland X convictions.
N Massachusetts X X X -
º 3 wº ...” º, X X Not all of these convictions were for
More than one 'idi 3 Mississippi X felonies. Nearly 80% of the courts re-
Total 3,128 100% Missouri X ported that felonies reduced to mis-
3. Montana X º; were included in their sta-
tº º & Nebrask X istics on felony court dispositions.
º VaSt º º º has one N. 8. X tis - y p
court responsible Ior deciding cases New Hampshire X F º
e e * © elony cases disposed
arising out of alleged violations of New Jersey X in misdemeanor courts
State felony laws.” Only 19 juris– New Mexico X
dictions have no felony court. The New York X
consist of 15 inde º cities in y North Carolina X In most States two separate courts
Virginia. 3 sº in South Dakota and North Dakota X conduct criminal trials: A felony court
Wiś that are largelV Indian reser– Ohio X conducts trials for all types of felonies;
* gely Oklahoma X a misdemeanor court conducts trials for
vations, and 1 county in Rhode Island. Oregon X misdemeanors. Usually in those States
º º x * that have separate misdemeanor and
* felony courts, a person arrested for a
Felony case processing, 1985 i. º : j first sº in the misdemeanor
y D 9, Tennessee X X : º: to *
* } ſº Texas X X cnarges 1n the felony court. e
f ... * the Utah X misdemeanor court holds arraignment
3. º hargi O I 8. Vermont X hearings, bail/bond hearings, and pre-
ocument enarging one or more persons Virginia X liminary hearings to determine if
with a crime. Such submissions are Washington X probable cause exists to proceed on a
tº sº º West Virgini X &
ºº:: * | * : felony charge. During the course of
Wyoming X such initial proceedings, the misde-
$ meanor court may sometimes accept
Source: Clifford, M.L., and R.T. Roper 1984 guilty pleas by defendants to a felony
workload of the court.
g g State Trial Court Jurisdiction Guide for *
Courts vary in how they define a S ate # #. ## ; # º charge and sentence these defendants if
case. In two-thirds of all courts each tatistical Reporting (Williamsburg, Va.; g - g
National Center for State Courts, undated), the charge is for a less serious class of
defendant equals one case. In the rest,
each charge or each indictment equals
one case, regardless of the number of
table 10 and (for Mississippi) table 1. felony.
The felony court in 326 counties (rep-
defendants. Consequently, the number About 1.5 million felony cases were tº §
of cases reported is not the same as the filed in the Nation's 3,235 felony courts tºº.º.º.º.º.e.'
number of persons who appeared in in 1985, an average of nearly 500 per º iº to felonw charges: º
felony courts or who were convicted. county. Eighteen counties had more gullty p y ges;
than 10,000 felony filings each. Half of . º sº Of jº, *.
--- all counties in the Nation, however, had 999nºes further reported that the
* re e º e misdemeanor court also sentences all
*Federal courts were not included in the census. fewer than 100 filings each, and no felons whose guilty pleas they accept
*The term court, as it is used here, should not be felony C8 SeS were filed in 32 Sparsely
confused with courthouses or courtrooms. As used populated counties. The 75 most popu-
here, a court refers to a court system, such as a lated counties averaged about 5,500
circuit court system.
filings.
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN LIBRARIES 2

Regional variations in felony
; case processing
The amount of crime and the number
of arrests in a particular jurisdiction
largely determine how many felony
court cases there will be. The volume
of crime and arrests, however, is not
the only factor involved. Regional
variations may account for some of the
differences among jurisdictions in
felony case processing.
The South, for example, accounted
for 34% of all reported crime and 38%
of all arrests in the United States (table
2). However, it accounted for propor-
tionately larger percentages of felony
court filings (59%), total dispositions
(59%), and total felony court convic-
tions (57%). Thus, a person arrested for
a crime in the South was more likely to
be prosecuted and convicted in a felony
court than a person arrested for a
crime in any other region. For every
1,000 arrests in the South, there were
143 convictions in felony court (table
3). In the Northeast, by contrast, the
number of felony court convictions per
1,000 arrests was 60; in the Midwest,
78; and in the West, 58.
Felony case processing and
county population size
The size of a county also appears to
affect whether an arrest results in a
felony court trial. In medium-sized
counties (those with populations of
between 100,000 and about 600,000
persons), the number of arrests was
directly proportional to felony case
activity (table 4). Medium-sized
counties, which account for 34% of the
U.S. population, had nearly identical
percentages of all crimes reported to
police (36%), all police arrests (34%),
all felony court filings (34%), all felony
court dispositions (35%), and all felony
court convictions (34%).
*The South is less urbanized than other regions of
the country: 25% of the population in the South
resides in a large county, compared to 49% in the
Northeast, 30% in the Midwest, and 55% in the
West. This does not explain, however, why there
are proportionately more felony cases in the South
compared to the rest of the country. Controlling
for county population size, there are still about
twice as many felony case filings for every 1,000
arrests than in the other three regions.
Table 2. Population, crime reported to police, arrests,
and felony court cases, by region of the United States, 1985
Percent for each region
Total Northeast Midwest South West
Population 100% 21% 25% 34% 20%
Police data
Reported crime 100% 20% 21% 3496 2696
Arrests 100 21 18 38 24
Felony court data
Filings 100% 1396 1.4% 5996 1396
Total dispositions 100 13 15 59 13
Convictions 100 13 15 57 15
Note: Detail may not add to total shown
because of rounding.
Source: Police data are from a computerized
dataset of the FBI's Crime in the United
States, 1984 (1985). Reported crimes are
murder, rape, robbery, aggravated assault,
burglary, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle
theft. Arrests are for all crimes.

Table 3. Number of felony court filings, dispositions, and convictions
per 1,000 arrests, by region of the United States, 1985
Number per 1,000 arrests for each region
Northeast Midwest South West
Felony court data
Filings 89 110 215 78
Total dispositions 87 113 213 75
Convictions 60 78 143 58
Source: See table 2.
Table 4. Population, crime reported to police, arrests, and
felony court cases, by county size, 1985
Percent by county size
Small Medium Large
Total counties* counties counties*
Population 100% 29% 3496 3796
Police data
Reported crime 100% 1696 36% 4896
Arrests 100 23 34 43
Felony court data
Filings 100% 38% 34% 28%
Total dispositions 100 38 35 27
Convictions 100 36 34 30

*2,650 counties with a population of less than
00,000 each.
362 counties with a population of 100,000-
579,000 each.
°75 counties with a population of at least
580,000 each.
Source: See table 2.
In small counties (populations of less
than 100,000) and in large counties
(populations of about 600,000 or more),
however, crime and arrests were not
proportional to felony ease filings and
dispositions. Criminal justice systems
in small counties handled a proportion-
ately greater number of felonies in
their court systems than did large coun-
ties. Small counties had 23% of all ar-
rests, but about 38% of all felony court
filings, dispositions, and convictions.
By contrast, large counties had 43% of
all arrests and only about 28% of all
filings, dispositions, and convictions.
One possible explanation for this is
that the frequency and seriousness of
the crimes that occur in large, highly
urbanized counties cause criminal jus-
tice officials there to be more selective
about the types of crimes and criminals
to which they devote their limited
resources. For example, about half of
all murders and rapes and nearly three-
fourths of all robberies take place in
the large urban counties; small counties
account for only 18% of all murders,
15% of all rapes, and only 4% of all
robberies.
State felony laws
Based on a survey undertaken for BJS
of the statutory laws in effect in 1986,
the term felony is not uniform in either
its usage or definition in the United
States today. Three jurisdictions
(Maine, New Jersey, and the District of
Columbia) do not use the term to
classify their criminal offenses, and
nine others offer no explicit definition
of the term, even though they use it as
a criminal designation (table 5).
In the 39 States that use and define
the term felony, common elements do
exist in their felony definitions. With
few exceptions, criminal codes define
felonies by reference to place of im–
prisonment or duration of imprison-
ment. A common felony definition is
one that identifies the place of impris–
onment but not the duration, as in
Idaho, where a felony is "a crime which
is punishable by death or by imprison-
ment in the State prison." Nearly as
Table 5. Felony definitions of the States and the District of Columbia
Alabama. Felony. An offense for which a
Sentence to a term of imprisonment in excess
of 1 year is authorized by this title.
Alaska. (Statutory law does not define the
term felony.)
Arizona. (Statutory law does not define the
term felony.)
Arkansas. An offense is a felony if: it is so
designated by this Code; or it is so designated
by a statute not a part of this Code.
California. A felony is a crime which is
punishable with death or by imprisonment in
the State prison.
Colorado. The term felony, wherever it may
occur in this constitution, or the laws of the
State, shall be construed to mean any
criminal offense punishable by death or
imprisonment in the penitentiary, and none
other.
Connecticut. An offense for which a person
may be sentenced to a term of imprisonment
in excess of 1 year is a felony.
Delaware. (Statutory law does not define the
term felony.)
District of Columbia. (Statutory law does not
use the term felony.)
Florida. The term "felony" shall mean any
criminal offense that is punishable under laws
of this State, or that would be punishable if
committed in this State, by death or
imprisonment in a State penitentiary.
Georgia. "Felony" means a crime punishable
by death, by imprisonment for life, or by
imprisonment for more than 12 months.
Hawaii. A crime is a felony if it is so
designated in this Code or if persons
convicted thereof may be sentenced to
imprisonment for a term in excess of 1 year.
Idaho. A felony is a crime which is
punishable with death or by imprisonment in
the State prison.
Illinois. "Felony" means an offense for which
a sentence to death or to a term of
imprisonment in a penitentiary for 1 year or
Inore is provided.
Indiana. "Felony conviction" means a
conviction, in any jurisdiction at any time,
with respect to which the convicted person
might have been imprisoned for more than 1
year; but it does not include a conviction with
respect to which the person has been
pardoned, or a conviction of a Class A
misdemeanor or under Section 7(b) of this
chapter.
Iowa. A public offense is a felony of a
particular class when the statute defining the
crime declares it to be a felony.
Kansas. A felony is a crime punishable by
death or by imprisonment in any State penal
institution.
Kentucky. Offenses punishable by death or
confinement in the penitentiary, whether or
not a fine or other penalty may also be
assessed, are felonies.
Louisiana. "Felony" is any crime for which an
offender may be sentenced to death or
imprisonment at hard labor.
Maine. (Statutory law does not use the term
felony.)
Maryland. (Statutory law does not define the
term felony.)
Massachusetts. A crime punishable by death or
imprisonment in the State prison is a felony.
Michigan. The term "felony" when used in this
act, Shall be construed to mean an offense for
which the offender, on conviction may be
punished by death, or by imprisonment in State
prison.
Minnesota. "Felony" means a crime for which a
sentence of imprisonment for more than 1 year
may be imposed.
Mississippi. The term "felony," when used in
any Statute, shall mean any violation of law
punished with death or confinement in the
penitentiary.
Missouri. A crime is a "felony" if it is so
designated or if persons convicted thereof may
be sentenced to death or imprisonment for a
term which is in excess of 1 year.
Montana. "Felony" means an offense in which
the sentence imposed upon conviction is death
or imprisonment in the State prison for any
term exceeding 1 year.
Nebraska. (Statutory law does not define the
term felony.)
Nevada. Every crime which may be punished by
death or by imprisonment in the State prison is
a felony.
New Hampshire. A felony is murder or a crime
so designated by statute within or outside this
Code or a crime defined by statute outside of
this Code where the maximum penalty provided
is imprisonment in excess of 1 year; provided,
however, that a crime defined by statute
outside of this Code is a felony when committed
by a corporation or an unincorporated
association if the maximum fine therein
provided is more than $200.
New Jersey. (Statutory law does not use the
term felony.)
New Mexico. A crime is a felony if it is so
designated by law or if upon conviction thereof
a sentence of death or of imprisonment for a
term of 1 year or more is authorized.
New York. "Felony" means an offense for
which a sentence to a term of imprisonment in
excess of 1 year may be imposed.
North Carolina. A felony is a crime which: was
a felony at common law; is or may be
punishable by death; is or may be punishable by
imprisonment in the State's prison; or is
denominated as a felony by statute.
North Dakota. (Statutory law does not define
the term felony.)
Ohio. Regardless of the penalty which may be
imposed, any offense Specifically classified as a
felony is a felony, and any offense specifically
classified as a misdemeanor is a misdemeanor.
Any offense not specifically classified is a
felony if imprisonment for more than 1 year
may be imposed as a penalty.
Oklahoma. A felony is a crime which is, or may
be, punishable with death, or by imprisonment
in the State penitentiary.
Oregon. Except as provided in ORS 161.585 and
161.705, a crime is a felony if it is so
designated in any statute of this State or if a
person convicted under a statute of this State
may be sentenced to a maximum term of
imprisonment of more than 1 year.
Pennsylvania. (Statutory law does not define
the term felony.)
Rhode Island. Unless otherwise provided, any
criminal offense which at any given time may
be punished by imprisonment for a term of more
than 1 year, or by a fine of more than $1,000 is
hereby declared to be a felony.
South Carolina. The crimes referred to in the
following sections. . .(specific statutory
Sections cited) and all other criminal offenses
punishable under the laws of this state which
were felonies under the common law are hereby
classified as and declared to be felonies (parens
added).
South Dakota. A felony is a crime which is or
Inay be punishable by imprisonment in the State
penitentiary.
Tennessee. All violations of law punished by
imprisonment in the penitentiary or by the
infliction of the death penalty are, and shall be
denominated, felonies.
Texas. "Felony" means an offense so designated
by law or punishable by death or confinement in
a penitentiary.
Utah. (Statutory law does not define the term
felony.)
Vermont. Any other provision of law
notwithstanding any offense whose maximum
term of imprisonment is more than 2 years, for
life or which may be punished by death is a
felony.
Virginia. Such offenses as are punishable with
death or confinement in the penitentiary are
felonies.
Washington. (Statutory law does not define the
term felony.)
West Virginia. Such offenses as are punishable
by confinement in the penitentiary are felonies.
Wisconsin. A crime punishable by imprisonment
in the Wisconsin State prisons is a felony.
Wyoming. Crimes which may be punished by
death or by imprisonment for more than 1 year
are felonies.
Source: Annotated code of each State, 1986.
common is a definition that specifies
the duration of imprisonment but not
the place, as in Georgia, where a felony
is "a crime punishable by death, by im–
prisonment for life, or by imprisonment
for more than 12 months."
In a few States the definition speci-
fies both place and duration, as in
Illinois, where a felony is "an offense
for which a sentence to death or to a
term of imprisonment in a penitentiary
for one year or more is provided."
States that define felonies by reference
to place and/or duration of imprison-
ment account for 36 of the 39 States
that use and define the term felony in
their criminal codes.
Felony classifications
Rather than specifying a different
penalty for each individual felony
statute (which, in some States, would
mean more than 100 different penal-
ties), most State legislatures designate
a class to which each felony belongs
and enact a different penalty for each
felony class. Because the number of
felony classes is small (usually around
five), legislatures are able to review
and revise penalties for large numbers
of felonies at one time.
Felonies of comparable seriousness
are put into the same class. Felony
classes differ from one another by the
length of the prison sentence that con-
viction can bring. Of the 48 States that
use the term felony in their criminal
codes, 31 classify felonies for sentenc–
ing purposes.
Minimum and maximum felony
Sentence S
Convicted felons can be sent to a
State prison or county jail, placed on
probation, fined, or given a combination
of these sentences. Previous studies
have shown that most convicted felons
do not go to prison; most receive either
a jail sentence or a term of proba-
tion.” Nevertheless, because felonies
are widely defined as crimes for which
a person may receive a prison sentence,
all convicted felons at least risk the
possibility of imprisonment for their
crimes.
The minimum prison sentence a con-
victed felon faces varies from State to
State (table 6). The most common min-
imum prison sentence is 1 year (19
States); next most common is more
than 1 year (17 States).
*see Cuniff, Mark A., Sentencing Outcomes in 28
Felony Courts, 1985, Bureau of Justice Statistics,
NCJ-105743, July 1987.
Table 6. Minimum and maximum felony sentences, by jurisdiction
Jurisdiction Minimum Maximum
Alabama Greater than 1 year Death
Alaska Greater than 1 year 99 years
Arizona Minimum of 1 1/2 years Death
Arkansas No minimum exists Death
California Greater than 1 year Death
Colorado Minimum of 1 year Death
Connecticut Minimum of 1 year Death
Delaware No minimum exists Death
District of Columbia.” Greater than 1 year Life
Florida - Greater than 1 year Death
Georgia Greater than 1 year Death
Hawaii Greater than 1 year Life
Idaho No minimum exists Death
Illinois Minimum of 1 year Death
Indiana Minimum of 1 year Death
Iowa.” Greater than 1 year Life
Kansas Minimum of 1 year Life
Kentucky Minimum of 1 year Death
Louisiana Minimum of 1 year, hard labor Death
Maine No minimum exists Life
Maryland Minimum of 1 year Death
Massachusetts Greater than 2 1/2 years Life
Michigan Greater than 1 year Life
Minnesota Greater than 1 year Life
Mississippi Minimum of 1 year Death
Missouri Greater than 1 year Death
Montana Greater than 1 year Death
Nebraska No minimum exists Death
Nevada Minimum of 1 year Death
New Hampshire Greater than 1 year Death
New Jersey* Minimum of 3 years Death
New Mexico Minimum of 1 year Death
New York" Minimum of 1 year Life
North Carolina Minimum of 1 year Death
North Dakota Greater than 1 year Life
Ohio Minimum of 6 months Death
Oklahoma Minimum of 1 year Death
Oregon Greater than 1 year d Death
Pennsylvania Minimum of 3 1/2 years Death
Rhode Island Minimum of 1 year Life
South Carolina Minimum of 3 months Death
South Dakota No minimum exists Death
Tennessee Minimum of 1 year Death
Texas Minimum of 2 years Death
Utah Greater than 1 year Death
Vermont No minimum exists Death
Virginia Minimum of 1 year Death
Washington No minimum exists Death
West Virginia Minimum of 1 year Life
Wisconsin Minimum of 1 year Life
Wyoming Greater than 1 year Death
Note: Minimums reported here refer to
statutorily defined minimum sentences for
those receiving a prison term. Any potential
effect of aggravating or mitigating circum-
stances in sentences imposed is not reflected
in this table. Other types of sentences—jail,
fines, probation—may also be given.
hese jurisdictions do not use the term
felony to classify offenses, but a working
definition has been constructed here for the
urposes of cross-jurisdictional analysis.
hese States contain classifications referred
to as "aggravated" or "serious" misdemeanors,
with penalties that exceed felony mini-
mums. They resemble felonies in procedural
terms, essentially constituting misdemeanor
status in name only.
*Although the New York State Penal Code
authorizes the death penalty for first degree
murder, the capital statute was ruled unconsti-
tutional by the State Supreme Court in 1984.
The statute has never been repealed by the New
ork State legislature.
he minimum term derives from the
Pennsylvania judicial code which stipulates that
the minimum be half the maximum sentence for
third degree felonies.
Source: Annotated code of each State, 1986,
and State officials.

Minimum prison sentence States
No minimum 8
3 months 1
6 months 1
1 year 19
More than 1 year 17
1 1/2 years 1
2 years 1
More than 2 1/2 years 1
3 years 1
3 1/2 years 1
In most States the maximum sen-
tence a convicted felon can receive is
death. Currently, the felony laws of 37
States authorize capital punishment for
the most serious crimes. In the remain-
ing 13 States and the District of
Columbia, the maximum felony sen-
tence is life imprisonment (defined as
99 years in Alaska).
Methodology
For each State felony court in the
United States, the 1985 Census of
Felony Courts succeeded in obtaining a
response to at least one item in the
census questionnaire. Nevertheless,
certain items referred to in this report
did not receive a 100% response rate.
Specifically, 3% of all counties did not
report the number of felony filings; 5%
did not report the number of disposi-
tions; and 26% did not report the num-
ber of convictions.
Statistics presented in this report are
based on analyses that aggregated
courts to form county-level units. In
cases where data were missing for at
least one felony court in a county, a
series of regression analyses of county-
level data were run sequentially and
formed the basis for imputing values.
Specifically, the relationship between
county population and number of filings
was the basis for imputing filings; the
relationship between number of filings
and number of dispositions was the
basis for imputing dispositions; and the
relationship between dispositions and
convictions was the basis for imputing
convictions.
Regression analyses for the 75
largest counties were run separately
from those for the remaining counties.
None of the 75 largest counties was
missing filings or total dispositions.
For the 75 largest counties the correla-
tion between convictions and total dis-
positions was .96. For the remaining
counties the correlation between popu-
lation and filings was .46; between
filings and total dispositions, .96; and
between dispositions and convictions,
.96. The preceding correlations are
based on analyses which excluded
counties with missing data.
Based on analyses of county-level
data, which included imputed values,
correlations with the number of felony
filings were: .75 with population; .70
with total arrests; .69 with arrests for
FBI Part I crimes; .67 with arrests for
violent crime; and .74 with crimes
known to the police.
Analysis of the relationship between
FBI data and court data involved
merging the two datasets. The
outcome was a dataset consisting of
3,087 counties representing over 99% of
the U.S. population.
Additional methodological details are
presented in the codebook (in prepara-
tion) for the computerized dataset
containing results of the 1985 census of
State felony courts. The dataset and
codebook (designated ICPSR #8667) are
available by writing or calling the
Criminal Justice Data Archive, P.O.
Box 1248, Ann Arbor, Mich. 48106,
(313) 763-5010. (The dataset and
codebook for the 1984 UCR data used
in this report, designated ICPSR #8714,
are also available at this address.)
For methodological details on the
1986 national survey of State felony
laws, see Logan, Wayne A., Lindsey S.
Stellwagen, and Patrick A. Langan,
Felony Laws of the 50 States and the
District of Columbia, 1986, NCJ-
105066 (Washington: 1987). The pub-
lication is available from the National
Criminal Justice Reference Service
($14.70 domestic, $17.40 Canada,
$27.00 other foreign) and can be
obtained by writing or calling NCJRS,
Box 6000, Rockville, Md. 20850, (301)
251–5500. The toll-free number is 800–
732–3277.
Bureau of Justice Statistics
bulletins are written principally by
BJS staff. This report was written
by Patrick A. Langan of BJS. The
section on "State felony laws" was
coauthored by Wayne A. Logan of
Abt Associates, Inc. John Fundis
helped prepare tables and verify
results. The report was edited by
Frank D. Balog. Report produc-
tion was administered by Marilyn
Marbrook, publications unit chief,
assisted by Jeanne Harris and
Arlene F. James.
Data collection and processing
for the 1985 Census of Felony
Courts were conducted by Diana
Cull, Betty Ford, Charlene Sebold,
Lisa McNelis, and Carma Hogue of
the U.S. Bureau of the Census.
BJS gratefully acknowledges the
support and advice of Edward B.
McConnell, Geoff Gallas, and
Robert T. Roper of the National
Center for State Courts; of Larry
Polansky of the Conference of
State Court Administrators; and of
Stanley R. Collis of the National
Association of Court Management.
August 1987, NCJ-106273
The Assistant Attorney General,
Office of Justice Programs, coor-
dinates the criminal and juvenile
justice activities of the following
program Offices and Bureaus: the
Bureau of Justice Statistics,
National Institute of Justice,
Bureau of Justice Assistance,
Office of Juvenile Justice and
Delinquency Prevention, and the
Office of Victims of Crime.

Bureau of Justice Statistics reports
(revised September 1987)
Call toll-free 800-732-3277 (local
251-5500) to Order BJS reports, to be added
to one of the BJS mailing lists, or to speak
to a reference Specialist in statistics at the
Justice Statistics Clearinghouse, National
Criminal Justice Reference Service,
Box 6000, Rockville, MD 20850. Single
copies of reports are free; use NCJ number
to order. Postage and handling are charged
for bulk orders of single reports. For single
copies of multiple titles, up to 10 titles are
free; 1 1-40 titles $10; more than 40, $20;
libraries call for Special rates.
Public-use tapes of BJS data sets and
Other Criminal justice data are available
from the Criminal Justice Archive and
Information Network, P.O. Box 1248, Ann
Arbor, MI 48106 (313-763-5010).
National Crime Survey
Criminal victimization in the U.S.:
1985 (final report), NCJ-104273, 5/87
1984 (final report), NCJ-100435, 5/86
1983 (final report), NCJ-96.459, 10/85
1983 (final report), NCJ-96459, 10/85
1982 (final report), NCJ-92820, 1 1/84
BJS special reports:
Robbery victims, NCJ-104638, 4/87
Violent crime by strangers and nonstrangers,
NCJ-103702, 1/87
Preventing domestic violence against women,
NCJ-102037, 8/86
Crime prevention measures, NCJ-100438, 3/86
The use of weapons in committing crimes,
NCJ-99643, 1/86
Reporting crimes to the police, NCJ-99432.
12/85
Locating city, Suburban, and rural crime, NCJ-
99535, 12/85
The risk of violent crime, NCJ-97119, 5/85
The economic cost of crime to victims, NCJ-
93450, 4/84
Family violence, NCJ-93449, 4/84
BJS bulletins.
Households touched by crime, 1986
NCJ-105289, 6/87
Criminal victimization, 1984, NCJ-98904, 10/85
The crime of rape, NCJ-96777, 3/85
Household burglary, NCJ-96021, 1/85
Criminal victimization, 1983, NCJ-93869, 6/84
Violent crime by strangers, NCJ-80829, 4/82
Crime and the elderly, NCJ-79614, 1/82
Measuring crime, NCJ-75710, 2/81
Series crimes: Report of a field test (BJS
technical report), NCJ-104615, 4/87
Crime and older Americans information package,
NCJ-104569, $10 domestic, 5/87
Lifetime likelihood of victimization, (BJS tech-
-nical report), NCJ-104274, 3/87
Teenage victims, NCJ-103.138, 12/86
Response to screening questions in the National
Crime Survey (BJS technical report), NCJ-
97.624. 7/85
Victimization and fear of crime: World
perspectives, NCJ-93872, 1/85
The National Crime Survey: Working papers.
vol. 1: Current and historical perspectives.
NCJ-75374, 8/82
vol. Il Methological studies, NCJ-90307, 12/84
Issues in the measurement of victimization,
NCJ-74682, 1 O/81
The cost of negligence: Losses from preventable
household burglaries, NCJ-53527, 12/79
Rape victimization in 26 American cities,
NCJ-55878, 8/79
Criminal victimization in urban schools,
NCJ-56396, 8/79
An introduction to the National Crime Survey,
NCJ-43732, 4/78
Local victim surveys: A review of the issues.
NCJ-39973, 8/77
Expenditure and employment
BJS bulletins.
1985, NCJ-104460, 3/87
Justice expenditure and employment:
1983, NCJ-101776, 7/86
1982, NCJ-98327, 8/85
Justice expenditure and employment in the U.S.:
1980 and 1981 extracts, NCJ-96007, 6/85
1971-79. NCJ-92596, 1 1/84
See order form
On last page
3, U. S. G. P. O. 1987–181–l478 : 60015
Corrections
BJS bulletins and special reports:
Capital punishment 1986, NCJ-106487, 9/87
Prisoners in 1986, NCJ-104864, 5/87
Imprisonment in four countries, NCJ-103967,
2/87
Population density in State prisons, NCJ-103204,
12/86
State and Federal prisoners, 1925-85,
NCJ-102494, 1 1/86
Prison admission and releases, 1983,
NCJ-100582, 3/86
Examining recidivism, NCJ-96501, 2/85
Returning to prison, NCJ-95700, 11/84
Time served in prison, NCJ-93924, 6/84
Correctional populations in the U.S. 1985,
NCJ-103957, 9/87
1984 census of State adult correctional
facilities, NCJ-105585, 7/87
Historical corrections statistics in the U.S., 1850-
1984, NCJ-102529,4/87
Prisoners in State and Federal Institutions on
Dec. 31, 1984, NCJ-103768, 3/87
Capital punishment 1984 (final), NCJ-99562, 5/86
1979 surveyof inmates of State correctional facilities
and 1979 census of State correctional facilities:
BJS special reports:
The prevalence of imprisonment, NCJ-93657,
7/85
Career patterns in crime, NCJ-88672, 6/83
Career patterns in crime, NCJ-88672, 6/83
BJS bulletins:
Prisoners and drugs, NCJ-87575, 3/83
Prisoners and alcohol, NCJ-86223, 1/83
Prisons and prisoners, NCJ-80697, 2/82
Veterans in prison, NCJ-79232, 11/81
Census of jails and survey of jail inmates.
Jail inmates, 1985, NCJ-105586,7/87
Jail inmates, 1984, NCJ-101094, 5/86
Jail inmates, 1983 (BJS bulletin), NCJ-991.75,
1 1/85
The 1983 jail census (BJS bulletin), NCJ-95536,
1 1/84
Census of jails, 1978: Data for individual jails,
vols. FIV, Northeast, North Central, South, West,
NCJ-72279-72282, 12/81
Profile of jail inmates, 1978, NCJ-65412, 2/81
Parole and probation
BJS bulletins:
Probation and parole 1985, NCJ-103683,
1/87
Setting prison terms, NCJ-76218, 8/83
Recidivism of young parolees (BJS Special
report), NCJ-104916, 5/87
Parole in the U.S., 1980 and 1981,
NCJ-87387, 3/86
Characteristics of persons entering parole
during 1978 and 1979, NCJ-87243, 5/83
Characteristics of the parole population, 1978,
NCJ-66479, 4/81
Children in custody.
Public juvenile facilities, 1985 (bulletin),
NCJ-102457, 10/86
1982-83 census of juvenile detention and
correctional facilities, NCJ-101686, 9/86
Courts
BJS bulletins.
State felony courts and felony laws,
NCJ-106273, 8/87
The growth of appeals: 1973-83 trends,
NCJ-96.381, 2/85
Case filings in State courts 1983, NCJ-95111,
10/84
BJS special reports.
Felony case-processing time, NCJ-101985, 8/86
Felony sentencing in 18 local
jurisdictions, NCJ-97681, 6/85
The prevalence of guilty pleas, NCJ-96018,
12/84
Sentencing practices in 13 States, NCJ-95399,
10/84
Criminal defense systems: A national
survey, NCJ-94630, 8/84
Habeas corpus, NCJ-92948, 3/84
tate court caseload statistics, 1977 and
1981, NCJ-87.587, 2/83
Sentencing outcomes in 28 felony courts,
NCJ-105743, 8/87
National criminal defense systems study,
NCJ-94702, 1 O/86
The prosecution of felony arrests:
1981, NCJ-101380, 9/86, $7.60 domestic/$9.20
Canadian/$12.20 foreign
1980, NCJ-97684, 10/85
1979, NCJ-86482, 5/84
State court model statistical dictionary,
Supplement, NCJ-98326, 9/85
1 st edition, NCJ-62320, 9/80
State court organization 1980, NCJ-76711, 7/82
Privacy and security
Computer crime:
BJS special reports:
Electronic fund transfer fraud, NCJ-96666, 3/85
Electronic fund transfer and crime,
NCJ-92650, 2/84
Electronic fund transfer systems fraud,
NCJ-1 OO461, 4/86
Computer security techniques,
NCJ-84O49, 9/82 -
Electronic fund transfer systems and crime,
NCJ-83736, 9/82 -
Expert witness manual, NCJ-77927, 9/81
Criminal justice resource manual, NCJ-61550,
12/79
Privacy and security of criminal history
information: Compendium of State legislation:
1984 overview, NCJ-98077, 9/85
Criminal justice information policy:
Automated fingerprint identification systems:
Technology and policy issues, NCJ-104342,
4/87
Criminal justice “hot” files, NCJ-101850, 12/86
Data quality policies and procedures:
Proceedings of a BJS/SEARCH conference,
NCJ-10 1849, 12/86
Crime control and criminal records (BJS special
report), NCJ-991.76, 10/85
State criminal records repositories (BJS
technical report), NCJ-9901 7, 10/85
Data quality of criminal history records, NCJ-
98O79, 10/85
intelligence and investigative records,
NCJ-95787, 4/85
Victim/witness legislation: An overview,
NCJ-94365, 12/84
Information policy and crime control strategies
(SEARCH/BJS conference), NCJ-93926,
10/84
Research access to criminal justice data,
NCJ-84 154, 2/83
Privacy and juvenile justice records,
NCJ-84 152, 1/83
Federal justice statistics
The Federal civil justice system (BJS
bulletin), NCJ-104769,7/87
Employer perceptions of workplace crime,
NCJ-101851, 7/87
Federal offenses and offenders
BJS special reports:
Sentencing and time served,
NCJ-1011043, 5/87
Pretrial release and misconduct, NCJ-96132,
1/85
BJS bulletins:
Federal civil justice statistics, NCJ-104769,
5/87
Bank robbery, NCJ-94463, 8/84
Federal drug law violators, NCJ-92692, 2/84
Federal justice statistics, NCJ-80814, 3/82
General
BJS bulletins and special reports:
BJS telephone contacts '87, NCJ-102909, 12/86
Tracking offenders: White-collar crime,
NCJ-102867, 1 1/86
Police employment and expenditure,
NCJ-1 OO1 17, 2/86
Tracking offenders: The child victim, NCJ-
95785, 12/84
The severity of crime, NCJ-92326, 1/84
The American response to crime: An overview
of criminal justice systems, NCJ-91936, 12/83
Tracking offenders, NCJ-91572, 1 1/83
Victim and witness assistance: New State
laws and the system's response, NCJ-87934,
5/83
Sourcebook of criminal justice statistics, 1986,
NCJ-105287, 9/87
BJS annual report, fiscal 1986, NCJ-103985,4/87
1986 directory of automated criminal justice
information systems, NCJ-102260, 1/87, $20
Publications of BJS, 1971-84: A topical
bibliography, TB030012, 10/86, $17.50
BJS Publications: Selected library in microfiche,
1971-84, PRO3OO12, 10/86, $2O3 domestic
Crime and justice facts, 1985, NCJ-100757, 5/86
National survey of crime severity, NCJ-96O17,
10/85
Criminal victimization of District of Columbia
residents and Capitol Hill employees, 1982-83,
NCJ-97982. Summary, NCJ-98567.9/85
DC household victimization survey data base:
Study implementation, NCJ-98595, $7.60
Documentation, NCJ-98596, $6.40
User manual, NCJ-98597, $8.2O
How to gain access to BJS data (brochure),
BC-OOOO22, 9/84
Report to the nation on crime and justice:
The data, NCJ-87O68, 1 O/83
To be added to any BJS mailing list, copy
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