Judge Susan Webber Wright
September 2012: Average Prison Sentence

District Court - Arkansas East
Program Area: Other

Show Details   Judge Compared
To District
Compared
To U.S.
Latest Fiscal Year 40.6 11.5% -48.0%
Previous Fiscal Year 32.6 -48.0% -55.4%
Past 5 Years 35.8 -24.7% -50.1%

Table 1: Current and 5 Year
Average 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 average prison sentence was 40.6 months, when looking only at cases falling under the broad category of "Other". This number is 11.5% higher than the average prison sentence for all the Eastern District of Arkansas matters disposed in the same period. At the same time, the judge's average prison sentence was 48.0% lower than the typical 2012 sentence for the nation as a whole. During the current fiscal year, Judge Susan Webber Wright has sentenced 17 defendants compared with 16 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 average prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge Wright was 35.8 months. This was 24.7% lower than the 47.5 months typical in Arkansas East and 50.1% lower than the 71.6 months average prison sentence for the nation. Judge Susan Webber Wright sentenced 57 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 Average 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. Average prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 24.9 months to 83.1 months, putting Judge Wright's average prison sentence of 35.8 months at the lower end of the range. The average prison sentence for the whole Eastern District of Arkansas during that time was 47.5 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

Lead Investigative Agencies in Cases Handled

The lead investigative agency that referred cases disposed of by Judge Susan Webber Wright for the past five years was the Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation. It accounted for 31.6% of all cases.

Other agencies with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge Susan Webber Wright over the past five years were: Justice - US Bureau of Prisons (22.8%), Postal Service (17.5%), Other - State/Local Authorities (8.8%), Justice - US Marshals Service (7.0%), Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (3.5%).

Agency Judge District US  
Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation 31.6% 33.1% 44.1% More
Justice - US Bureau of Prisons 22.8% 23.6% 0.8% More
Postal Service 17.5% 12.0% 9.3% More
Other - State/Local Authorities 8.8% 9.5% 4.2%  
Justice - US Marshals Service 7.0% 5.5% 7.9%  
Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement 3.5% 7.3% 9.3%  
Homeland Security - Secret Service (formerly Treasury) 1.8% 2.2% 2.5%  
Interior 1.8% 0.4% 2.5%  
Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) 1.8% 0.4% 3.5%  
Justice - Other 1.8% 1.1% 1.3%  

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 "18 USC 2252 - Material involving sexual exploitation of minors". It accounted for 26.3% 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 1791 - Providing or possessing contraband in prison" (17.5%), "18 USC 1708 - Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter generally" (10.5%), "18 USC 113 - Assaults within maritime and territorial jurisdictions" (7.0%), "18 USC 2250 - Fail to register as sex offender after traveling interst" (5.3%), "18 USC 875 - Interstate Communications" (3.5%), "18 USC 1111 - Murder" (3.5%), "18 USC 1470 - Transfer of obscene materials to minors" (3.5%).

Lead Charge Judge District US  
18 USC 2252 - Material involving sexual exploitation of minors 26.3% 22.5% 15.3% More
18 USC 1791 - Providing or possessing contraband in prison 17.5% 23.3% 1.3% More
18 USC 1708 - Theft or receipt of stolen mail matter generally 10.5% 6.9% 2.7%  
18 USC 113 - Assaults within maritime and territorial jurisdictions 7.0% 1.5% 4.0%  
18 USC 2250 - Fail to register as sex offender after traveling interst 5.3% 1.1% 4.6%  
18 USC 875 - Interstate Communications 3.5% 0.7% 0.4%  
18 USC 1111 - Murder 3.5% 0.7% 0.6%  
18 USC 1470 - Transfer of obscene materials to minors 3.5% 1.5% 0.2%  
08 USC 1326 - Reentry of deported alien 1.8% 0.7% 0.4%  
16 USC 3372 - Illegally Taken Fish & Wildlife - prohibited acts 1.8% 0.4% 0.0%  

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 1 108.00 09/07/12 Project Safe Childhood Details
2 2 0.00 07/31/12 Violence-Other Details
3 1 24.00 07/06/12 Project Safe Childhood Details
4 1 18.00 06/05/12 Project Safe Childhood Details
5 1 0.00 05/14/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
2 1 15.00 05/01/12 Violence-Other Details
6 1 36.00 04/10/12 Fugitive Crimes Details
7 1 6.00 04/09/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
8 1 12.00 03/23/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
9 1 12.03 03/23/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
10 1 265.00 03/09/12 Project Safe Childhood Details
7 2 0.00 02/23/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
11 1 30.00 01/06/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
12 1 7.00 01/05/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
13 1 7.00 01/05/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
14 1 7.00 01/05/12 Other Criminal Prosecutions Details
15 1 144.00 12/02/11 Project Safe Childhood Details

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