Organizations as Defendants in the Federal Criminal Justice System

• In Event: Application of the Current Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP) to Guide Current Criminal Justice Policy

Abstract

Crimes committed by organizations have the potential for substantial consequences to the public, economy, and the environment. Regardless of size, corporations and other business entities are viewed the same in the eyes of the law. Violations by organizations can vary in whether they are handled in criminal, civil, or regulatory venues, their complexity, level of involvement of specialized investigative, court, and supervision resources, and outcomes received by prosecution and court actors. Improved statistical measurement is needed to better understand the nature of the federal response to organizations. Using data from BJS’ Federal Justice Statistics Program (FJSP), this paper describes characteristics of organizations and outcomes received at each stage of the federal justice process for a 20 year period. A long-range plan to improve statistical reporting of organizations in the federal justice system is discussed.

Authors

• Mark Motivans, Bureau of Justice Statistics, U.S. Department of Justice

• Christopher Cutler, Abt Associates Inc.