Public Data Dashboard

Case Length - PhilaDAO Data Dashboard

Notice

COVID-19 has changed the criminal legal system

During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. We have indicated this by marking areas during the pandemic in red. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

This is a Year-to-Date (YTD) report

This report is intended to allow for year-to-year comparisons and only shows data through January 17 for each year. Early in the year, when few cases have been processed, any given number could be anomalously high or low. To view year-end numbers, please refer to the Year-End reports in the Reports menu at the top of this page.

Understood

Case Length

Year to Date Through 01/17/2022

Definitions | Limitations

Case Length is a measure of the number of days between arrest and resolution in a case. It reflects the efficiency of a criminal justice system. Faster case resolution can be a deterrent to crime; it also allows victims and the accused to move on with their lives more quickly.

438 days

to Complete

Non-Fatal Shooting

Cases

564 days

to Complete

Homicide

Cases

47,357

Cases Currently Open

  46%

Time to Complete Poss. of Firearms Cases

vs. Pre-2018 Avg

All Offenses

The offense categories have recently changed. Please see this data story and the definitions page for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the criminal legal system. Due to court closures, cases have remained open for much longer than normal. The increase in median days to disposition for cases in 2020 and 2021 is a result of this.

Yearly Median Days to Disposition by Police District

Data: YTD Count of Median Days to Disposition by Offense Category

Offense Category	2016 YTD	2017 YTD	2018 YTD	2019 YTD	2020 YTD	2021 YTD	2022 YTD	Yr-Yr Change	’16-’17 Avg	’18-’22 Avg	’16-’17 Avg Compared to ’18-’22 Avg
All Violent Offenses	111	120	155	138	138	236	374	58%	116	208	79%
All Property Offenses	114	127	119	136	181	308	426	38%	120	234	95%
All Drug Offenses	153	214	176	178	210	445	455	2%	184	293	59%
All Firearm Possession	277	271	268	221	191	258	400	55%	274	268	-2%
All Other Offenses	154	193	171	178	188	435	495	14%	174	293	68%
Uncategorized Offenses	162	149	166	149	128	166	218	31%	156	165	6%
All Offenses	136	160	162	164	182	305	424	39%	148	247	67%
Areas in red coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

Violent

The offense categories have recently changed. Please see this data story and the definitions page for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the criminal legal system. Due to court closures, cases have remained open for much longer than normal. The increase in median days to disposition for cases in 2020 and 2021 is a result of this.

Yearly Median Days to Disposition by Police District

Data: YTD Count of Median Days to Disposition by Offense Category

Offense Category	2016 YTD	2017 YTD	2018 YTD	2019 YTD	2020 YTD	2021 YTD	2022 YTD	Yr-Yr Change	’16-’17 Avg	’18-’22 Avg	’16-’17 Avg Compared to ’18-’22 Avg
Homicide: Shooting	345	432	666	0	387	0	645	Inf%	388	340	-12%
Homicide: Other	752	542	550	507	7,859	0	484	Inf%	647	1,880	191%
Attempted Murder	667	232	752	0	1,175	183	349	91%	450	492	9%
Non-Fatal Shooting	210	359	584	228	451	186	438	135%	284	377	33%
Rape	95	537	468	532	378	181	459	154%	316	404	28%
Robbery with a Deadly Weapon	199	242	615	84	292	294	170	-42%	220	291	32%
Robbery	78	107	80	106	139	266	128	-52%	92	144	57%
Aggravated Assault	110	107	153	154	120	190	286	51%	108	181	68%
Strangulation	0	0	72	71	87	234	121	-48%	0	117	Inf%
Simple Assault	96	83	74	104	124	262	420	60%	90	197	119%
Other Assaults	142	96	368	71	273	294	338	15%	119	269	126%
Sexual Assault and Other Sex Offenses	244	141	213	320	155	179	312	74%	192	236	23%
Arson	52	592	316	100	353	234	255	9%	322	252	-22%
Carjacking	534	216	623	176	420	294	716	144%	375	446	19%
Other Violent Crimes	79	108	69	131	137	168	375	123%	94	176	87%
All Violent Offenses	111	120	155	138	138	236	374	58%	116	208	79%
Areas in red coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

Property

The offense categories have recently changed. Please see this data story and the definitions page for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the criminal legal system. Due to court closures, cases have remained open for much longer than normal. The increase in median days to disposition for cases in 2020 and 2021 is a result of this.

Yearly Median Days to Disposition by Police District

Data: YTD Count of Median Days to Disposition by Offense Category

Offense Category	2016 YTD	2017 YTD	2018 YTD	2019 YTD	2020 YTD	2021 YTD	2022 YTD	Yr-Yr Change	’16-’17 Avg	’18-’22 Avg	’16-’17 Avg Compared to ’18-’22 Avg
Burglary/Residential	105	126	117	95	128	308	426	38%	116	215	85%
Burglary/Commercial	265	138	217	90	38	219	575	163%	202	228	13%
Theft	128	157	127	149	189	571	417	-27%	142	291	105%
Retail Theft	95	100	87	196	258	237	353	49%	98	226	131%
Theft from Auto	160	156	149	111	238	400	412	3%	158	262	66%
Auto Theft	120	127	129	110	213	103	401	289%	124	191	54%
Fraud	168	168	111	170	112	1,764	326	-82%	168	497	196%
Trespass	120	178	216	108	135	372	311	-16%	149	228	53%
Criminal Mischief	124	169	138	176	362	280	426	52%	146	276	89%
Other Property Crimes	244	75	157	110	0	0	506	Inf%	160	155	-3%
All Property Offenses	114	127	119	136	181	308	426	38%	120	234	95%
Areas in red coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

Drugs

The offense categories have recently changed. Please see this data story and the definitions page for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the criminal legal system. Due to court closures, cases have remained open for much longer than normal. The increase in median days to disposition for cases in 2020 and 2021 is a result of this.

Yearly Median Days to Disposition by Police District

Data: YTD Count of Median Days to Disposition by Offense Category

Offense Category	2016 YTD	2017 YTD	2018 YTD	2019 YTD	2020 YTD	2021 YTD	2022 YTD	Yr-Yr Change	’16-’17 Avg	’18-’22 Avg	’16-’17 Avg Compared to ’18-’22 Avg
Drug Sales with a Firearm	408	476	338	102	219	0	466	Inf%	442	225	-49%
Drug Sales	184	250	211	177	209	501	462	-8%	217	312	44%
Drug Possession	129	171	138	182	210	376	432	15%	150	268	79%
Drug Possession in Jails	194	255	504	80	352	398	0	-100%	224	267	19%
All Drug Offenses	153	214	176	178	210	445	455	2%	184	293	59%
Areas in red coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

Firearms

The offense categories have recently changed. Please see this data story and the definitions page for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the criminal legal system. Due to court closures, cases have remained open for much longer than normal. The increase in median days to disposition for cases in 2020 and 2021 is a result of this.

Yearly Median Days to Disposition by Police District

Data: YTD Count of Median Days to Disposition by Offense Category

Offense Category	2016 YTD	2017 YTD	2018 YTD	2019 YTD	2020 YTD	2021 YTD	2022 YTD	Yr-Yr Change	’16-’17 Avg	’18-’22 Avg	’16-’17 Avg Compared to ’18-’22 Avg
Firearm Possession by a Prohibited Person	277	315	272	272	226	372	470	26%	296	322	9%
Firearm Possession without a License	293	282	250	192	108	189	370	96%	288	222	-23%
Altered Firearm Serial Number	136	168	426	231	453	530	957	81%	152	519	241%
Other Firearm Offenses	0	0	343	961	434	15	442	2847%	0	439	Inf%
All Firearm Possession	277	271	268	221	191	258	400	55%	274	268	-2%
Areas in red coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

Other

The offense categories have recently changed. Please see this data story and the definitions page for more information.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound effect on the criminal legal system. Due to court closures, cases have remained open for much longer than normal. The increase in median days to disposition for cases in 2020 and 2021 is a result of this.

Yearly Median Days to Disposition by Police District

Data: YTD Count of Median Days to Disposition by Offense Category

Offense Category	2016 YTD	2017 YTD	2018 YTD	2019 YTD	2020 YTD	2021 YTD	2022 YTD	Yr-Yr Change	’16-’17 Avg	’18-’22 Avg	’16-’17 Avg Compared to ’18-’22 Avg
Violation of Protection Order	96	85	90	103	300	258	174	-33%	90	185	106%
DUI	184	253	215	201	207	448	548	22%	218	324	49%
Prostitution/Sex Work	182	73	95	546	434	4,892	0	-100%	128	1,193	832%
Patronizing Prostitutes/Sex Workers	62	80	153	119	108	384	0	-100%	71	153	115%
Promoting Prostitution	47	0	0	0	0	0	0	0%	24	0	-100%
Victim/Witness Intimidation & Retaliation	264	365	192	97	0	0	514	Inf%	314	161	-49%
Threats of Violence	77	52	89	129	124	115	552	380%	64	202	216%
Disorderly Conduct	81	143	132	95	158	1,722	467	-73%	112	515	360%
All Other Offenses	154	193	171	178	188	435	495	14%	174	293	68%
Areas in red coincide with the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, the criminal legal system has operated completely differently than it normally does. The changes that can be observed on our dashboard include: 1) isolation, closed schools, and the loss of community programming has led to an increase in serious violent crime, 2) police have made fewer arrests overall (in particular for minor offenses), 3) court policies and other restrictions meant to keep people safe have also disrupted or delayed court hearings and led to a significant increase in open cases forced dismissals and withdrawals. See our report on the justice system during COVID-19 to learn more.

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