DEA Prosecutions Slip 14 Percent in FY 2012
Number Year-to-date 11,782 Percent Change from previous year -14.4 Percent Change from 5 years ago -16.3 Percent Change from 10 years ago -14.8 Percent Change from 20 years ago -1.4
Table 1: DEA Criminal ProsecutionsThe latest available data from the Justice Department show that during the first ten months of FY 2012 the government reported 11,782 new prosecutions for matters referred by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). If this activity continues at the same pace, the annual total of prosecutions will be 14,138 for this fiscal year. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this estimate is down 14.4 percent over the past fiscal year when the number of prosecutions totaled 16,508.
The comparisons of the number of defendants charged with offenses referred by the DEA are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (see Table 1).
Compared to five years ago when there were 16,884, the estimate of FY 2012 prosecutions of this type is down 16.3 percent. Prosecutions over the past year are lower than they were ten years ago. Overall, the data show that prosecutions of this type are down 14.8 percent from the level of 16,593 reported in 2002 and down 1.4 percent from the level of 14,338 reported in 1992.
The long term trend in prosecutions for these matters going back to FY 1992 is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of prosecutions of this type recorded each fiscal year. Projected figures for the current fiscal year are shown. Each presidential administration is distinguished by the color of the bars. To view trends month-by-month rather than year-by-year, see TRAC's monthly report series for the latest data.
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
During FY 2011 the Justice Department said the government obtained 53.8 prosecutions for every one million people in the United States. If pace during the first ten months of FY 2012 continues at the same rate, there will be 46.1 prosecutions for each one million people in the United States this year. Understandably, there is great variation in the per capita number of prosecutions in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts.
Judicial District Percapita Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago 10yrs ago 20yrs ago N Mexico 217 364 1 1 1 1 2 Texas, W 180 921 2 2 3 2 6 Ark, E 150 200 3 10 26 81 35 N Dakota 137 74 4 20 9 84 45 Kansas 131 308 5 30 23 30 63 Texas, E 126 372 6 11 15 53 42 N. Y., S 114 488 7 8 6 8 9 Iowa, N 113 123 8 3 16 6 89 Texas, S 101 705 9 6 7 5 3 Tenn, W 93 121 10 19 32 29 58
Table 2: Top 10 districts (per one million people)
The District of New Mexico — with 217.35 prosecutions as compared with 46.1 prosecutions per one million people in the United States — was the most active through July 2012. The District of New Mexico was ranked 1st a year ago as well as five years ago. The district's position ten years ago was 1st and 2nd twenty years ago.
The Western District of Texas (San Antonio) ranked 2nd. The Western District of Texas (San Antonio) was ranked 2nd a year ago, while it was ranked 3rd five years ago. The district's position ten years ago was 2nd and 6th twenty years ago.
The Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock) now ranks 3rd. The Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock) was ranked 10th a year ago. The district's position ten years ago was 81st and 35th twenty years ago.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest projected growth in the rate of prosecutions compared to one year ago — 99.8 percent — was Kansas. Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest projected growth — 75.3 percent — was the Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock) .
In the last year, the judicial District Court recording the largest projected drop in the rate of prosecutions — 25.3 percent — was the Southern District of Texas (Houston).
Report Generated: October 1, 2012
