Judge James Block Zagel
September 2012: Average Prison Sentence
District Court - Illinois North
Program Area: Other
District Court - Illinois North
Program Area: Other
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 average prison sentence was 84.7 months, when looking only at cases falling under the broad category of "Other". During the current fiscal year, Judge James Block Zagel has sentenced 9 defendants compared with 3 defendants during the twelve months of the previous fiscal year.
Over the last five years, the average prison sentence imposed on defendants that were credited to Judge Zagel was 74.3 months. This was 8.2% lower than the 80.9 months typical in Illinois North and 3.6% higher than the 71.6 months average prison sentence for the nation. Judge James Block Zagel sentenced 25 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. Average prison sentence numbers passed down for those judges ranged from 41.0 months to 137.7 months, putting Judge Zagel's average prison sentence of 74.3 months at the lower end of the range. The average prison sentence for the whole Northern District of Illinois during that time was 80.9 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
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 - Federal Bureau of Investigation. It accounted for 72.0% of all cases.
Other agencies with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge James Block Zagel over the past five years were: Postal Service (20.0%), Homeland Security - Secret Service (formerly Treasury) (4.0%), Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration (4.0%).
| Agency | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation | 72.0% | 72.1% | 44.1% | More |
| Postal Service | 20.0% | 7.4% | 9.3% | |
| Homeland Security - Secret Service (formerly Treasury) | 4.0% | 2.2% | 2.5% | |
| Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration | 4.0% | 1.1% | 1.1% |
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 James Block Zagel for the past five years was "18 USC 2113 - Bank robbery and incidental crimes". It accounted for 44.0% of all cases.
Other lead charges with substantial numbers of cases that were disposed by Judge James Block Zagel over the past five years were: "18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US" (16.0%), "18 USC 1709 - Theft of mail matter by officer or employee" (12.0%), "18 USC 875 - Interstate Communications" (4.0%), "18 USC 924 - Firearms; Penalties" (4.0%), "18 USC 1203 - Kidnapping - Hostage taking" (4.0%), "18 USC 2115 - Robbery - Post office" (4.0%), "18 USC 2252A - Activity relating material constituting/containing chil" (4.0%), "18 USC 2423 - Transportation of minors for sexual activity" (4.0%), "18 USC 3146 - Penalty for failure to appear" (4.0%).
| Lead Charge | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 USC 2113 - Bank robbery and incidental crimes | 44.0% | 48.6% | 14.5% | More |
| 18 USC 371 - Conspiracy to commit offense or to defraud US | 16.0% | 4.6% | 2.3% | |
| 18 USC 1709 - Theft of mail matter by officer or employee | 12.0% | 1.8% | 1.4% | |
| 18 USC 875 - Interstate Communications | 4.0% | 0.4% | 0.4% | |
| 18 USC 924 - Firearms; Penalties | 4.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | |
| 18 USC 1203 - Kidnapping - Hostage taking | 4.0% | 0.3% | 0.1% | |
| 18 USC 2115 - Robbery - Post office | 4.0% | 0.1% | 0.2% | |
| 18 USC 2252A - Activity relating material constituting/containing chil | 4.0% | 0.9% | 3.9% | |
| 18 USC 2423 - Transportation of minors for sexual activity | 4.0% | 0.7% | 0.9% | |
| 18 USC 3146 - Penalty for failure to appear | 4.0% | 0.3% | 1.0% |
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 | 78.00 | 09/06/12 | Bank Robbery | Details |
| 2 | 1 | 30.00 | 06/26/12 | Other Criminal Prosecutions | Details |
| 3 | 1 | 168.00 | 05/25/12 | Bank Robbery | Details |
| 4 | 2 | 24.00 | 04/03/12 | Other Criminal Prosecutions | Details |
| 4 | 3 | 0.33 | 03/28/12 | Other Criminal Prosecutions | Details |
| 5 | 1 | 144.00 | 02/29/12 | Bank Robbery | Details |
| 6 | 1 | 90.00 | 12/08/11 | Other Criminal Prosecutions | Details |
| 4 | 1 | 168.00 | 12/07/11 | Other Criminal Prosecutions | Details |
| 7 | 1 | 60.00 | 10/26/11 | Other Criminal Prosecutions | Details |
Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year