New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services Bureau of Statistical Services Criminal Court Statistical Reports
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Overview of the Records
New York State Archives
New York State Education Department
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Albany, NY 12230
15 cubic feet
Arrangement
Chronological by year, then by type of return (A, B, C, D,or E).
Scope and Content Note
The records consist of detailed statistics of arrests, arraignments, indictments, convictions, and sentences in all criminal courts in New York State (including New York City).
The statistics are broken down according to type of offense specified in the Penal Law and are tabulated for all counties and cities in the state. The reports are on 11x14 sheets of paper. Through the 1950s the figures appear to have been typed on a bookkeeping machine. After that the reports are computer printouts.
The statistical reports for each year are subdivided into five "returns" as follows: Return A - Offenses and Arrests - Statistics on offenses (reported or known; false or groundless); adult and juvenile arrests for felonies, misdemeanors, and certain violations; Return B - Procedural Outcome of Criminal Cases in Preliminary Courts - Statistics on preliminary dispositions for same categories of offenses found in Return 'A'. The disposition categories are: convicted and sentenced, acquitted or dismissed, bail forfeited, transferred to grand jury, transferred to other courts (e.g. Family Court); Return C - District Attorneys' Reports on Grand Jury Actions - Statistics on number of persons indicted, indicted and recommended for youthful offender status, referred to lower courts, and dismissed; Return D - Outcome of Proceedings in Supreme and County Courts - Statistics on number of persons sentenced after guilty plea or verdict, acquitted by jury, acquitted or dismissed by court, and "other"; and Return E - Sentences by Higher Criminal Courts (Supreme and County Courts) and lower Criminal Courts - Statistics on sentences to prisons, reformatories, Elmira Reception Center, institutions for defective delinquents, penitentiaries, jails; also fines, restitution, probation, conditional discharge, unconditional discharge, and "other."
The geographic breakdown for returns 'A' and 'B' is for whole state, New York City, the five boroughs of New York City, the Transit Police in New York City, each of 22 larger upstate cities ("upstate" includes the entire state outside New York City), each of 39 smaller upstate cities, all towns and villages (statistics are total
ed for each county), each of the State Police troops and the Thruway Detail, each county sheriff, and the Nassau and Suffolk County Police Departments. Return 'E' (section for lower criminal courts) has the same geographic breakdown, except that totals for the State Police are not included.
The geographic breakdown for Returns 'C', 'D', and 'E' (section for higher criminal courts) is by state, upstate, New York City, New York City Boroughs, and each upstate county.
Related Publications
Some detailed criminal conviction statistics by county were published in the annual reports of the Commissioner of Correction between 1930 and 1945, but thereafter they were omitted. The present series thus picks up a few years after the published Department of Corrections statistics leave off. Since 1972 the Division of Criminal Justice Services has published a Felony Processing Preliminary Annual Report containing tables on felony indictments, sentences, and dispositions by county. This data is also published in quarterly reports beginning in 1973. Starting in 1975 DCJS has produced a New York State Crime and Justice Annual Report which includes detailed statistical data on offenses, arrests, indictments and dispositions, and sentences. Most if not all of the data is duplicated in the unpublished and published versions.
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Detailed Description
Dates | Contents | Box | |||
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Accretion: 14319-85 |
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1948-1949 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 1 |
1950-1952 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 2 |
1953-1958 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 3 |
1959-1961 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 4 |
1962-1964 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 5 |
1965-1967 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 6 |
1968-1969 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 7 |
1970-1971 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 8 |
1972 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 9 |
1973 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 10 |
1974 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 11 |
1975-1978 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 12 |
1972-1973 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 13 |
1974-1975 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 14 |
1975-1979 | Criminal Court Statistical Reports | 15 |