Convictions for 2022
Referring Agency: Drug Enforcement Administration
Number Year-to-date 8,568 Percent Change from previous year 9.5 Percent Change from 5 years ago -9 Percent Change from 10 years ago -31.4 Percent Change from 20 years ago -33.8
Table 1: Criminal ConvictionsThe latest available data from the Justice Department show that during FY 2022 the government reported 8,568 new convictions for these matters. Those cases were referred by the Drug Enforcement Administration. According to the case-by-case information analyzed by the Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse (TRAC), this number is up 9.5% over the past fiscal year when the number of convictions totaled 7,824.
The comparisons of the number of defendants convicted for offenses are based on case-by-case information obtained by TRAC under the Freedom of Information Act from the Executive Office for United States Attorneys (see Table 1).
Compared to five years ago when there were 9,420, the number of FY 2022 convictions of this type is down 9 percent. Convictions over the past year are lower than they were ten years ago. Overall, the data show that convictions of this type are down 31.4 percent from the level of 12,492 reported in 2012 and down 33.8 percent from the level of 12,952 reported in 2002.
The long term trend in convictions for these matters going back to FY 2002 is shown more clearly in Figure 1. The vertical bars in Figure 1 represent the number of convictions of this type recorded each fiscal year. Each presidential administration is distinguished by the color of the bars. To view trends month-by-month rather than year-by-year, see TRAC's monthly report series for the latest data.
Leading Program Areas
Cases were classified by prosecutors into more specific types. The single largest number of convictions of these matters through September 2022 was for "Narcotics/Drugs", accounting for 84 percent of convictions.
The second largest number of matters were Convictions filed under the program area of "Withheld by Govt from TRAC " (10.3%) . The "Other" category in Figure 2 is comprised of a diverse group of programs. The largest specific programs within the "Other" category were: Weapons" (3.7%).
[The Department of Justice is withholding the program area for 10.3% of the cases. These matters are also included in the "Other" category. TRAC, in ongoing litigation, has challenged the government's withholding of program category information, winning a substantial victory in September 2006 decision. The government, however, has filed a notice of appeal which has stayed the order requiring it to release program information.]
Top Ranked Lead Charges
Table 2 shows the top lead charges recorded in the convictions of matters filed in U.S. District Court during FY 2022.
Lead Charge Count Rank 1 yr ago 5 yrs ago 10 yrs ago 20 yrs ago 21 USC 841 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A 4,275 1 1 1 1 1 More 21 USC 846 - Attempt and conspiracy 2,510 2 2 2 2 2 More 18 USC 922 - Firearms; Unlawful acts 263 3 3 3 3 6 More Other US Code Section 177 4 4 18 31 7 More 18 USC 1956 - Laundering of monetary instruments 58 5 6 6 6 4 More 21 USC 963 - Attempt and conspiracy 53 6 8 7 4 8 More 46 USC 70506 - Penalties 53 6 10 5 16 - More 46 USC 70503 - Possession control substance on vessel subject to jurisdiction of US 52 8 7 4 10 - More 18 USC 846 - Explosives - Additional powers of the Secretary 34 9 12 23 23 9 More 21 USC 843 - Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts C 33 10 9 8 7 5 More
Table 2: Top charges for convictions
"Drug Abuse Prevention & Control-Prohibited acts A" (Title 21 U.S.C Section 841) was the most frequent recorded lead charge. Title 21 U.S.C Section 841 was ranked 1st a year ago, while it was the 1st most frequently invoked five years ago. It was ranked 1st ten years ago and 1st twenty years ago.
Ranked 2nd in frequency was the lead charge "Attempt and conspiracy" under Title 21 U.S.C Section 846. Title 21 U.S.C Section 846 was ranked 2nd a year ago, while it was the 2nd most frequently invoked five years ago. It was ranked 2nd ten years ago and 2nd twenty years ago.
Ranked 3rd was "Firearms; Unlawful acts" under Title 18 U.S.C Section 922. Title 18 U.S.C Section 922 was ranked 3rd a year ago, while it was the 3rd most frequently invoked five years ago. It was ranked 3rd ten years ago and 6th twenty years ago.
Again among the top ten lead charges, the one showing the sharpest decline in convictions compared to one year ago—down -11 percent—was "Laundering of monetary instruments " (Title 18 U.S.C Section 1956 ). This was the same statute that had the largest decrease—-61%—when compared with five years ago.
Top Ranked Judicial Districts
During FY 2021 the Justice Department said the government obtained 23.8 convictions for every one million people in the United States. convictions for one million people in the United States during FY 2022 were 26.1 . Understandably, there is great variation in the per capita number of convictions in each of the nation's ninety-four federal judicial districts
Judicial District Percapita Count Rank 1yr ago 5yrs ago 10yrs ago 20yrs ago S Dakota 121 107 1 1 38 45 22 More N Dakota 115 89 2 2 5 6 69 More Mo, E 94 276 3 4 33 22 16 More N Mexico 86 181 4 6 1 1 2 More Ill, S 84 103 5 10 36 12 39 More Ark, E 83 135 6 7 3 5 65 More Ken, E 78 173 7 14 11 18 37 More Okla, N 71 77 8 30 60 75 31 More Iowa, N 70 94 9 9 6 4 6 More Ga, S 66 108 10 22 35 24 21 More
Table 3: Top 10 districts (per one million people)
The District of South Dakota—with 121.34 convictions as compared with 26.1 convictions per one million people in the United States—was the most active through September 2022. The District of South Dakota was ranked 1st a year ago. The district's position ten years ago was 45th and 22nd twenty years ago.
The District of North Dakota ranked 2nd. The District of North Dakota was ranked 2nd a year ago, while it was ranked 5th five years ago. The district's position ten years ago was 6th and 69th twenty years ago.
The Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) now ranks 3rd. The Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis) was ranked 4th a year ago. The district's position ten years ago was 22nd and 16th twenty years ago.
Recent entries to the top 10 list were Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington), Southern District of Georgia (Savannah) and Northern District of Oklahoma (Tulsa), now ranked 7th, 10th and 8th. These districts ranked 14th, 22nd and 30th one year ago and 11th, 35th and 60th five years ago.
Compared to 10 years ago, Southern District of Illinois (East St. Louis), Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington), Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis), Southern District of Georgia (Savannah), South Dakota and Northern District of Oklahoma (Tulsa) now ranked in the top 10 did not appear in the top ten.
And compared to 20 years ago, Eastern District of Missouri (St. Louis), Southern District of Georgia (Savannah), South Dakota, Northern District of Oklahoma (Tulsa), Eastern District of Kentucky (Lexington), Southern District of Illinois (East St. Louis), Eastern District of Arkansas (Little Rock) and North Dakota were not sufficiently active to then make the top 10.
The federal judicial district which showed the greatest growth in the rate of convictions compared to one year ago—120 percent—was Northern District of Oklahoma (Tulsa). Compared to five years ago, the district with the largest growth—301 percent—was South Dakota .
Report Generated: March 3, 2023
