Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1949-11-14
Better Records
.0fSeriousCriime
urged for DC.
Criminal Justice Unit
Asks Full Report Of
Aoencies' Actions

"A UlOIe COluplcGC lCPOl tlliS oyo-
tenn to give an accurate picture
of serious crime in the District,
was called for today by the
Washington Criminal Justice As
ISOLATION.
The recommendation is con-
tanned in a detailed analysis OF
the disposition Of cases of aggra-
waited assault in the District. The
analysis shows that Of 4,047 cases
reported, 2,657 were closed by ar
rests, but of these only 1873 cases.
or 5 per cent, ended in convic-
lions for the crime of aggravated
assault.
when citizen is informed by
one public agency that there are
several thousand felonious crimes
reported, and learn from another
agency that only a small per-
centage of these crimes result in
convictions, he has no accurate
information on which to base a
sound perspective concerning
crime and its treatment in his
community" the report declares.
Correlation Urged.
There can be no valid analysis
of crime problems in the District
of Columbia until there is CORE
lation between the reports of all
public agencies concerned" the
report continues.
The association recommends
the creation of "a central record.
ing system that would correlate
the action taken by each agency"
The nucleus for such a system.
says the report, is contained in
the statistical recording equip
ment now available at the Police
Department and the association
urges that this department
should be a service unit for all
agencies dealing with crime in the
community
"It is recommended that each
public agency having authority to
take further action on a case
should report its action to the CEN
trail recording unit and this action
should be recorded in the statis-
tical record.
Full Record Sought.
This information would include
any change Of charge by the Office
of the District Attorney. any dis
position made by the Municipal
Court, any action by the grand
jury. any disposition by the Dis
ftrict Court, any use of probation
in either court. any admission to a
tpenal institution, any action by the
parole authority and any revoca-
lions of probation or parole"
| The mechanics of this system
would have to be developed CO.
foperatively by all public agencies
concerned and with the advice Of
technical experts in order that
each agency would have available
the information most essential to
tits particular operation"
The association report notes
that of the 4,047 reported cases
of felonious assault, 2,567 cases
were closed by police with adult
arrests. OF these, in LIZA cases,
or A per cent, no papers were
issued by the District Attorneys
office. mo papers" means that an
Assistant District Attorney, after
a hearing, decides the evidence
does not justify the charge, and
the case is not presented in court.
OF the 7S9 cases that eventually
get to court, 684 are tried in
Municipal Court as misdemeanors,
after the original charge has been
reduced. Only 1873. or S per cent.
of the persons arrested on a
charge of felonious assault las
sault with a deadly weapon, or
with intent to kill) are eventually
found guilty of the original
charge. Another 248, or 9.3 per
cent are convicted of lesser Of
lenses.
Figures Cited,
1.-THE Individual citizen" says
the report, might well ask
whether there were 1000 or 400
serious assaults in the District of
Columbia during 1948. His answer
would depend on the source of his
inquiry"
1.-THE results of any analysis
of aggravated assault in the Dis
trict of Columbia would seem
somewhat inconclusive," the re-
port concludes. because of the
many intangible factors involved.
These include:
81. Impossibility of valid COM
parison with other metropolitan
cities because of inconsistency of
reporting procedures.
%. Impossibility of comparison
with previous years because Of
changes in reporting procedures.
-. Inconsistency of crime clas-
sif1cation between the various
units concerned with the criminal
process.
4. Unique situations existing in
the District of Columbia that
complicate the problems of law
enforcement, prosecution and jul
dicial treatment"
Unique Conditions.
The unique situations" referred
to IN the port concerns cases In
which a domestic quarrel is in
volved and the victim exercises
his constitutional prerogative not
to prosecute his spouse. The re-
port comments:
1T was not possible to tabu-
late this factor accurately because
Of the many common-law mar
riages and temporary alliances
existent in the District, where the
relationship is not evident through
the identity of common name,
IS Sc