Judge James Block Zagel
September 2012: Median Prison Sentence
District Court - Illinois North
Referring Agency: Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement
District Court - Illinois North
Referring Agency: Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement
For all cases disposed of in the current fiscal year (2012) that were credited to Judge James Block Zagel in the Northern District of Illinois, the median prison sentence was 42.0 months, when looking only at cases referred by the Department of Homeland Security Immigration and Customs Enforcement. During the current fiscal year, Judge James Block Zagel has sentenced 8 defendants compared with 2 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year.
Over the last five years, the median prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge Zagel was 41.0 months. This was 13.9% higher than the 36.0 months typical in Illinois North and 141.2% higher than the 17.0 months median prison sentence for the nation. Judge James Block Zagel sentenced 19 defendants during the past five years.
(CAUTION: The kinds of cases handled by individual judges influences statistical information about their sentences. It therefore is important to consider the breakdown of cases that each has handled, available below, when making judge-by-judge comparisons.)
Figure 1 compares Judge Zagel's numbers to those for judges in this district and in the United States as a whole for cases of this type over the last five years.
During the last five years there were 26 other judges in the Northern District of Illinois with information on convictions during that period. Median prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 24.0 months to 46.5 months, putting Judge Zagel's median prison sentence of 41.0 months at the higher end of the range. The median prison sentence for the whole Northern District of Illinois during that time was 36.0 months.
Professional Biography
Born 1941 in Chicago, IL
Federal Judicial Service
Judge, U. S. District Court, Northern District of Illinois
Nominated by Ronald Reagan on February 2, 1987, to a seat vacated by Frank J. McGarr; Confirmed by the Senate on April 21, 1987, and received commission on April 22, 1987.
Education:
University of Chicago, B.A., 1962
University of Chicago, M.A., 1962
Harvard Law School, J.D., 1965
Professional Career:
Assistant state's attorney, Cook County, Illinois, 1965-1969
Assistant attorney general, State of Illinois, 1969-1977
Deputy chief, Criminal Justice Division, 1969-1970
Chief, Criminal Justice Division, 1970-1977
Chief prosecuting attorney, Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board, 1973-1975
Chief assistant attorney general, State of Arizona, 1975
Executive director, Illinois Law Enforcement Commision, 1977-1979
Director, Department of Revenue, State of Illinois, 1979-1980
Chairman, Governor's Advisory Counsel on Criminal Justice Legislation, 1980-1987
Director of state police, State of Illinois, 1980-1987
Program Areas of Cases Handled
Cases disposed of by Judge James Block Zagel for the past five years fell into a number of broad categories. The lead category for these cases was Immigration accounting for 84.2% of cases.
Other major categories with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge James Block Zagel over the past five years were: Government Regulatory (10.5%), Narcotics/Drugs (5.3%).
| Program Area | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Immigration | 84.2% | 70.3% | 62.0% | More |
| Government Regulatory | 10.5% | 3.6% | 1.5% | |
| Narcotics/Drugs | 5.3% | 15.7% | 25.9% |
Table 2: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)
Lead Charges in Cases Handled
The lead charge with the most cases disposed of by Judge James Block Zagel for the past five years was "08 USC 1326 - Reentry of deported alien". It accounted for 84.2% of all cases.
Other lead charges with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge James Block Zagel over the past five years were: "21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" (10.5%), "08 USC 1324a - Unlawful employment of aliens" (5.3%).
| Lead Charge | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08 USC 1326 - Reentry of deported alien | 84.2% | 64.6% | 49.9% | More |
| 21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A | 10.5% | 6.3% | 13.1% | |
| 08 USC 1324a - Unlawful employment of aliens | 5.3% | 0.2% | 0.1% |
Table 3: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)
Number of Defendants in Judge James Block Zagel's Cases
| Case | Def. | Sentence (Months) | Sentencing Date | Program Category | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0.00 | 06/11/12 | Immigration | Details |
| 2 | 1 | 12.03 | 04/27/12 | Immigration | Details |
| 3 | 1 | 57.00 | 04/18/12 | Immigration | Details |
| 4 | 1 | 8.00 | 03/01/12 | Immigration | Details |
| 5 | 1 | 84.00 | 01/30/12 | Immigration | Details |
| 6 | 2 | 87.00 | 01/11/12 | Money Laundering-Drug | Details |
| 6 | 1 | 36.00 | 12/22/11 | Money Laundering-Drug | Details |
| 7 | 1 | 48.00 | 11/09/11 | Immigration | Details |
Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year