O.C. Conviction Rate

The statistics upon which you based your recent article (July 30) and editorial (Orange County, Aug. 6) are not reliable. The Department of Justice specifically states, “Comparisons of county and local data should be made with caution,” since nearly half (40%) of the available data is missing. Your article misrepresented DOJ’s caution by saying it only applies to sparsely populated counties; it applies to all county and local jurisdictions regardless of size.

For example, the records of the Orange County Superior Court establish nearly 3,700 felons were sentenced to prison from this county in 1992. You used a total of 2,492 prison commitments instead of the true figure, which was 50% higher.

The important 1992 statistics of the five counties compared are: Orange County has the second-lowest violent felony and second-lowest felony crime rate of the 10 largest California counties; has the lowest ratio of prosecutors to residents; has the second-lowest ratio of prosecution cost per resident; has the highest ratio of cases per prosecutor, and has the highest ratio of prison commitments per felony concluded in the Superior Court.

Based on our success in maintaining the second-lowest violent felony and felony crime rate of the 10 largest counties and our maintaining the second-lowest cost per resident, we should be complimented and copied, not criticized. These latter statistics are, after all is said and done, the bottom line!

MICHAEL R. CAPIZZI

Orange County District Attorney