Those Prosecuted: Guilty or Not?

During the last three years of the Reagan Administration and the four years under President Bush there was a steady increase in the number of individuals charged with a federal crime. While this number dipped a bit in the early Clinton years, the 1998 total of 82,071 prosecutions was substantially higher than the 59,682 recorded in 1986. But what proportion of these prosecutions resulted in a finding of guilt? In both 1986 and 1998, precisely the same percentage were convicted -- 80.9%. In between, the percentage drifted lower to 72.8% in 1992 and then in 1996 began a climb back to its 1986/1998 high.