Judge James Block Zagel
September 2012: Average Prison Sentence
District Court - Illinois North
Program Area: Withheld by Govt from TRAC
District Court - Illinois North
Program Area: Withheld by Govt from TRAC
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 30.0 months, when looking only at cases falling under the broad category of "Withheld by Govt from TRAC". During the current fiscal year, Judge James Block Zagel has sentenced 3 defendants compared with 5 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 30.0 months. This was 50.9% lower than the 61.1 months typical in Illinois North and 60.5% lower than the 76.1 months average prison sentence for the nation. Judge James Block Zagel sentenced 17 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 13.5 months to 144.9 months, putting Judge Zagel's average prison sentence of 30.0 months at the lower end of the range. The average prison sentence for the whole Northern District of Illinois during that time was 61.1 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 35.3% 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 (23.5%), Other - Small Business Administration (17.6%), Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) (5.9%), Postal Service (5.9%), Other - Social Security Administration (5.9%), Other (5.9%).
| Agency | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Justice - Federal Bureau of Investigation | 35.3% | 49.9% | 23.6% | |
| Justice - Drug Enforcement Administration | 23.5% | 10.6% | 34.3% | |
| Other - Small Business Administration | 17.6% | 0.9% | 0.1% | |
| Justice - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (formerly Treasury) | 5.9% | 5.2% | 13.0% | |
| Postal Service | 5.9% | 11.1% | 3.0% | |
| Other - Social Security Administration | 5.9% | 0.2% | 0.3% | |
| Other | 5.9% | 2.8% | 1.6% |
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 "Withheld by govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending)". It accounted for 100.0% of all cases.
| Lead Charge | Judge | District | US | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Not specified | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | More |
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 | 2 | 0.00 | 07/17/12 | Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) | Details |
| 2 | 1 | 0.00 | 05/24/12 | Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) | Details |
| 1 | 1 | 90.00 | 12/22/11 | Withheld by Govt from TRAC (FOIA challenge pending) | Details |
Table 4: Individual Cases and Defendants Disposed of in Current Fiscal Year