1st-Ever Felony Data Report Released By Cook County Prosecutors

CHICAGO, IL — The second largest prosecutor's office in the country has released a first-ever data report offering an overview of felony cases over the past year, along with case-level data on more than six years of felony prosecutions. In the report released Tuesday, Cook County State's Attorney Kim Foxx provided a detailed breakdown of more than 30,000 felony cases handled by her office's criminal, narcotics and special prosecution divisions in 2016.

The data show how many charges prosecutors approved, how many cases law enforcement brought to prosecutors, and the outcomes of cases that have already concluded. The report also shows the prevalence of various felonies between the city and suburbs and racial groups.

"When I was sworn in as State's Attorney," Foxx said, introducing the report. "I made a commitment to increasing the transparency and accountability of the State's Attorney's Office. This report, the first such report released by the SAO, is an important step toward the goal of operating the most open and engaged prosecutor's office in the country." She described the report as a "starting point" and said it will be updated annually.

According to the report, 11,828 (54 percent) of the 21,728 cases presented to county prosecutors in 2016 originated from the city of Chicago, home to roughly 52 percent of the county's population. The other 9,900 (46 percent) of cases originated in the suburbs.

In suburban Cook County, prosecutors pursued more cases of felony DUIs, burglaries, batteries and aggravated batteries to police. Chicago recorded more homicides, robberies, shoplifting and unlawful use of a weapon charges.

"Not all of the news is good; nor will change be instantaneous. But as I have often said when speaking on the topic of data and transparency: you cannot fix what you cannot measure," Foxx said.

There were a total of 530 homicide cases brought before prosecutors in Cook County, 72 percent of which originated in Chicago. Of those charged in connection with the deaths, 74 percent of defendants were black, 13 percent were Latino, 6 percent were white and 7 percent were categorized as another race. Homicide felonies were approved by the State's Attorney's Felony Review Unit less often than nearly every other charge, according to the report. The approval rate for black and Latino defendants was 64 percent, 50 percent for defendants listed as "other" and 84 percent for white homicide suspects.

Unlawful use of a weapon charges were the most common felony handled by Foxx's office, according to the report, with 2,414 cases brought by to prosecutors in the city and 777 in the suburbs. Of the nearly 3,200 such prosecutions, black people were charged in 80 percent of them.

DUI is the third most common felony charge in the county after weapons and shoplifting, and 53 percent of cases come from the suburbs. Latinos were charged in 47 percent of felony DUIs, whites in 33 percent and black motorists in 15 percent, according to the report.

In addition to charging information, the report provides a snapshot into what happened with cases concluded in court last year. In the 197 homicide cases to be resolved in court, 20 resulted in defendants being found not guilty, by a judge or a jury, while 165 were found guilty – 80 via a plea, 41 by a jury and 44 by a judge. In the remaining cases, prosecutors declined to pursue charges for 11 defendants and one suspect died.

The report also broke down the outcomes of case by race, showing that 36 percent of whites, 39 percent of Latinos and 57 percent of black people convicted of felonies received prison sentences. Similarly, black people were shown to be about 15 percent less likely to receive probation than their convicted white and Latino counterparts.

"Going forward, the SAO is committed to continuing to share data, in service of the larger goal of building a justice system that is more transparent, equitable and fair," the report concludes.

» Read the complete 2016 Data Report from the Cook County State's Attorney

_{Top photo: Kim Foxx, then a candidate for Cook County State's Attorney, speaks at a news conference in Chicago, Dec. 2, 2015, | M. Spencer Green | Associated Press}