Judge Susan Webber Wright
September 2012: Median Prison Sentence

District Court - Arkansas East
Referring Agency: Federal Bureau of Investigation

Show Details   Judge Compared
To District
Compared
To U.S.
Latest Fiscal Year 24.0 -11.1% -44.8%
Previous Fiscal Year 48.0 - -
Past 5 Years 30.0 -18.9% -28.6%
Percent not reported where cases too few to provide
meaningful comparison.

Table 1: Current and 5 Year
Median Prison Sentence Comparison

For all cases disposed of in the current fiscal year (2012) that were credited to Judge Susan Webber Wright in the Eastern District of Arkansas, the median prison sentence was 24.0 months, when looking only at cases referred by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This number is 11.1% lower than the median prison sentence for all the Eastern District of Arkansas matters disposed in the same period. At the same time, the judge's median prison sentence was 44.8% lower than the typical 2012 sentence for the nation as a whole. During the current fiscal year, Judge Susan Webber Wright has sentenced 13 defendants compared with 8 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year. Judge Susan Webber Wright's service terminated on December 1, 1990, due to statutory reassignment of judg.

Focusing on a five-year period, the median prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge Wright was 30.0 months. This was 18.9% lower than the 37.0 months typical in Arkansas East and 28.6% lower than the 42.0 months median prison sentence for the nation. Judge Susan Webber Wright sentenced 79 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.)

Bar chart of start

Figure 1: Five Year Comparison of Median Prison Sentence
in Months

Figure 1 compares Judge Wright'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 6 other judges in the Eastern District of Arkansas with information on convictions during that period. Median prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 25.5 months to 48.0 months, putting Judge Wright's median prison sentence of 30.0 months at the lower end of the range. The median prison sentence for the whole Eastern District of Arkansas during that time was 37.0 months.

Bar chart of label

Figure 2: Detailed Comparison among Judges for the Eastern District of Arkansas

Professional Biography

Born 1948 in Texarkana, AR

Federal Judicial Service
Judge, U. S. District Court, Western District of Arkansas

Nominated by George H.W. Bush on September 21, 1989, to a seat vacated by Elsijane Trimble Roy; Confirmed by the Senate on January 23, 1990, and received commission on January 24, 1990. Service terminated on December 1, 1990, due to statutory reassignment of judges.

Judge, U. S. District Court, Eastern District of Arkansas

Nominated by George H.W. Bush on September 21, 1989, to a seat vacated by Elsijane Trimble Roy; Confirmed by the Senate on January 23, 1990, and received commission on January 24, 1990. Served as chief judge, 1998-2005.

Education:
Randolph-Macon Woman's College, B.A., 1970
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville, M.P.A., 1973
University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, J.D., 1975

Professional Career:
Law clerk, Hon. J. Smith Henley, U.S. Court of Appeals, Eighth Circuit, 1975-1976
Faculty, University of Arkansas at Little Rock School of Law, 1976-1990
Assistant professor and assistant dean, 1976-1978
Associate professor, 1980-1983
Professor, 1983-1990
Research assistant, Arkansas Constitutional Convention, 1979
Visiting assistant professor, University of Arkansas at Fayetteville School of Law, 1980
Visiting associate professor, Ohio State University College of Law, 1981
Visiting associate professor, Louisiana State University Law Center, 1982-1983

Program Areas of Cases Handled

Cases disposed of by Judge Susan Webber Wright for the past five years fell into a number of broad categories. The lead category for these cases was White Collar Crime accounting for 26.6% of cases.

Other major categories with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Susan Webber Wright over the past five years were: Other (22.8%), Narcotics/Drugs (19.0%), Withheld by Govt from TRAC (17.7%), Weapons (10.1%).

Program Area Judge District US  
White Collar Crime 26.6% 21.8% 20.7% More
Other 22.8% 21.3% 32.8% More
Narcotics/Drugs 19.0% 26.2% 23.1% More
Not specified 17.7% 15.7% 10.4% More
Weapons 10.1% 9.6% 4.5%  
Government Regulatory 1.3% 0.2% 1.0%  
Immigration 1.3% 0.5% 0.6%  
Official Corruption 1.3% 1.9% 2.5%  

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 Susan Webber Wright for the past five years was "Withheld by govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending)". It accounted for 17.7% of all cases.

Other lead charges with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Susan Webber Wright over the past five years were: "18 USC 2252 - Material involving sexual exploitation of minors" (12.7%), "21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy" (8.9%), "18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television" (7.6%), "21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" (7.6%), "18 USC 1341 - Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles" (6.3%), "18 USC 2113 - Bank robbery and incidental crimes" (6.3%), "18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts" (5.1%), "18 USC 1347 - Health Care Fraud" (3.8%).

Lead Charge Judge District US  
Not specified 17.7% 15.9% 10.6% More
18 USC 2252 - Material involving sexual exploitation of minors 12.7% 6.1% 4.8% More
21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy 8.9% 16.9% 11.0%  
18 USC 1343 - Fraud by wire, radio, or television 7.6% 6.6% 3.2%  
21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A 7.6% 8.9% 11.0%  
18 USC 1341 - Mail Fraud - Frauds and swindles 6.3% 3.3% 3.8%  
18 USC 2113 - Bank robbery and incidental crimes 6.3% 9.8% 11.0%  
18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts 5.1% 2.6% 2.6%  
18 USC 1347 - Health Care Fraud 3.8% 3.5% 1.4%  
18 USC 666 - Theft or bribery in programs receiving Fed funds 2.5% 1.2% 0.7%  

Table 3: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)

Number of Defendants in Judge Susan Webber Wright's Cases

Case Def. Sentence (Months) Sentencing Date Program Category  
1 3 13.00 09/14/12 Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) Details
1 2 36.00 09/07/12 Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) Details
2 1 108.00 09/07/12 Project Safe Childhood Details
1 1 60.00 08/16/12 Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) Details
3 2 0.00 07/31/12 Violence-Other Details
3 1 15.00 05/01/12 Violence-Other Details
4 1 12.00 03/23/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
5 1 36.00 03/22/12 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
6 1 42.00 02/22/12 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
7 1 24.00 01/31/12 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
8 1 20.00 12/01/11 Fraud-Tax Details
9 1 15.00 10/25/11 Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force Details
10 1 48.00 10/04/11 Fraud-Financial Institution Details

Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year