Duren Banks, Steven W. Perry

December 28, 2011    NCJ 234211

Presents findings on felony caseloads and convictions in the 2,330 chief prosecutors' offices in the United States that handled felony cases in state courts of general jurisdiction. The report summarizes the annual office budget, tenure and salaries of chief state court prosecutors, and the full-time office staffing, including attorneys, investigators, victim advocates, and support personnel. It presents data on threats against staff and data on staff who carry firearms. It details the number of felony cases closed, felony jury trial verdicts, and the use of DNA evidence. Statistical tables include selected types of cases prosecuted, such as methamphetamine production, use of internet for child exploitation, elder abuse, and gang-related violence. Data are from the 2007 National Census of State Court Prosecutors, the second complete census of all state prosecutors' offices litigating felony cases in state courts of general jurisdiction.

Highlights:

• In 2007, 2,330 prosecutors’ offices across the United States served districts with populations ranging in size from 500 to 9.9 million residents.
• In 2007, almost half (47%) of prosecutors’ offices had received a written threat, a threatening phone call, a face-to-face threat, or had staff who were victims of battery or assault.
• The average annual salary of a chief prosecutor in 2007 was $98,000, with mean salaries ranging from $165,700 for chief prosecutors in the largest offices to less than $45,000 in part-time offices.

Part of the Prosecutors in State Courts Series

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