Politics & Government

Report: High Percentage of Alameda County Felonies End in No Conviction

Number of cases dropped statewide last year, but officials say state's court system was badly damaged by budget cuts.

Written by Alex Gronke

Nearly one out of four felonies filed in Alameda County Superior Court last year ended in acquittal or dismissal, according to a report published this week by the Judicial Council of California.

That was only one nugget of information in a 150-page annual report, which collected statistics from the state Supreme Court, the appellate courts and 58 county superior courts.  

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While the report found that the total number of cases filed in California’s courts declined by nearly 10 percent from 2011 to 2012, the council cautioned that years of budget cuts have altered the state’s judicial system for the worse.

“Although we’re uncertain about the conclusions, council members and our justice system partners are certain about how budget cuts have affected the public and have impacted access to justice—including reduced hours and closed courtrooms, fewer law enforcement officers on the street, and the reallocation of resources to focus on certain case types or services,” council member Doug Miller said in a press release.

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Judges in Alameda County are among the busiest in the state. With 85 judges and 366,452 filings in 2012, Alameda County Superior Court ranked 16 out of 58 in terms of filings per judge. Contra Costa County was 32 out of 58. The 11 judges in Imperial County Superior Court contended with the largest ratio of filings per judge.


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