S Manager - Criminal Justice Partnership Program Grant Application

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38 SUMMARY The population in both counties has increased. Therefore, it is probable that the rate of arrests will continue to increase with the population. The number and rate of arrests has varied among both counties. Arrests in Orange County decreased from 1991 to 1992, but then increased from 1992 to 1993. In Chatham County, the number as well as the rate of arrests has decreased from 1991-1993. The three offenses with the most substantial increases in Orange County were "other offenses," drug offenses and simple assaults. The category of"other offenses" is a catch-all category and consists of a wide range of offenses from kidnapping to trespassing. The three offenses with the most substantial increases in Chatham County were aggravated assault, DWI and disorderly conduct. Additionally, the number of murders more than tripled in Chatham County from 2 in 1992 to 7 in 1993. Because there were 4 murders in 1991, it is possible that 1992 had an abnormally low number of murders while 1993 had an abnormally high number of murders. The average daily population of the Orange County Jail is exceeding its limits while the Chatham County Jail adp remains relatively low. Both jails held a majority of pre-trial inmates with neither jail having no less than 68% pre-trial inmates from 1991 to 1993. The average length of stay for both jails was from 9-11 days in 1993. The most common offenses at admission in 1993 for both Orange and Chatham County Jails were probation violation/failure to appear, "other offenses," and property offenses. These were also the most common offenses for both jails in 1991 and 1992. DWI was also common in both counties from 1991-92. Probation entries decreased for both counties from 1991-1993. Intensive probation entries ranged from 2-4% of the probation population in both counties. In 1993, Orange County offenders successfully completed probation 70% of the time, while Chatham County offenders successfully completed probation 66% of the time. Technical violations seemed to be the most common reason for probation revocation for both counties. However, this may be a result in state coding procedures, and should not be considered totally reliable at this time. The number of residents from each county admitted to prison consistently increased during 1991-1993. For the fiscal year 1993-94, the most common prison offenses were drug offenses, property crimes, and assaultive offenses in each county. Of the prisoners convicted of felonies in Orange County, 82% of them admitted to occasional or frequent alcohol use,while 69% admitted to using drugs occasionally or frequently. Similar percentages were present in Chatham County where 80% of the prisoners admitted using alcohol occasionally or frequently and 68% admitted using drugs occasionally or frequently. Parole is no longer a release mechanism for incarcerated offenders. It is believed that parole caseloads will begin to decrease in 1995-96.