Judge James Block Zagel
September 2012: Median Prison Sentence
District Court - Illinois North
Lead Charge: 21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A
District Court - Illinois North
Lead Charge: 21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A
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 120.0 months, when looking only at cases with a lead charge of "21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A". This number is 50.0% higher than the median prison sentence for all the Northern District of Illinois matters disposed in the same period. At the same time, the judge's median prison sentence was 150.0% higher than the typical 2012 sentence for the nation as a whole. During the current fiscal year, Judge James Block Zagel has sentenced 14 defendants compared with 18 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year.
Focusing on a five-year period, the median prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge Zagel was 65.0 months. This was 7.1% lower than the 70.0 months typical in Illinois North and 27.5% higher than the 51.0 months median prison sentence for the nation. Judge James Block Zagel sentenced 61 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 36.0 months to 204.0 months, putting Judge Zagel's median prison sentence of 65.0 months at the lower end of the range. The median prison sentence for the whole Northern District of Illinois during that time was 70.0 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 Narcotics/Drugs accounting for 91.8% 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 (6.6%).
| Program Area | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Narcotics/Drugs | 91.8% | 91.3% | 96.4% | More |
| Government Regulatory | 6.6% | 1.7% | 0.0% | |
| Weapons | 1.6% | 5.4% | 1.8% |
Table 2: Composition of Cases for the Past Five Years (Top 10)
Lead Investigative Agencies in Cases Handled
The lead investigative agency that referred cases disposed of by Judge James Block Zagel for the past five years was the Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury). It accounted for 39.3% of all cases.
Other agencies with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge James Block Zagel over the past five years were: Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration (23.0%), Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation (23.0%), Treasury - Internal Revenue Service (9.8%), Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement (3.3%).
| Agency | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) | 39.3% | 18.5% | 7.7% | More |
| Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration | 23.0% | 40.8% | 48.7% | More |
| Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation | 23.0% | 32.2% | 10.2% | More |
| Treasury - Internal Revenue Service | 9.8% | 1.5% | 0.2% | |
| Homeland Security - Immigration and Customs Enforcement | 3.3% | 6.0% | 17.6% | |
| Justice - Other | 1.6% | 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 | 60.00 | 08/21/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 2 | 1 | 360.00 | 07/03/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 3 | 1 | 121.00 | 06/12/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 4 | 1 | 135.00 | 06/06/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 4 | 2 | 135.00 | 06/04/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 2 | 4 | 18.00 | 04/20/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 5 | 1 | 90.00 | 04/17/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 2 | 2 | 120.00 | 02/28/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 2 | 5 | 240.00 | 01/17/12 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | 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 | 18.00 | 12/16/11 | Money Laundering-Drug | Details |
| 2 | 3 | 240.00 | 12/13/11 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
| 2 | 6 | 120.00 | 12/05/11 | Drugs-Organized Crime Task Force | Details |
Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year