NCJ Number
106732
Date Published
1987
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study, conducted between January 1986 and November 1986, considered the validity of certain achievements claimed by the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force (OCDETF), compliance with the requirement that a U.S. attorney approve pleas to less than the most serious charge, and whether task force attorneys are seeking enhanced drug penalties for offenders with prior Federal felony drug convictions.
Abstract
Regarding claimed OCDETF achievements for calendar years 1983 and 1984, OCDETF reported 120 fewer convictions than the number determined by the study. The OCDETF report on the percentage of convicted offenders imprisoned was accurate, but the amount of criminal fines assessed was slightly less than that reported by the task force. The reliability of the amount of assets OCDETF reported could not be determined. The OCDETF requirement that a U.S. attorney approve a plea agreement to less than the most serious charge was not generally followed nor monitored. Of the 1,450 drug offenders included in the study, 64 had prior Federal felony drug convictions. Prosecutors sought enhanced penalties for only 27 of these offenders. 3 tables and 1 figure.