The Vick Odds II
In their 18-page indictment against Michael Vick, the feds cite Chapter 18, Section 371 of the U.S. Code as the overriding cause of their action. It's a general conspiracy statute. The government keeps tabs on the results of cases tried under every chapter and verse of the federal law, and here's a synopsis:
** This decade, the government has successfully prosecuted violations of that particular law 91 percent of the time. Almost all of the convictions (94.8 percent) have come on guilty pleas.
** U.S. Attorneys drop fewer than 13 percent of their prosecutions under the statute.
** When cases actually get to a jury, the conviction rate is 82.6 percent.
** Judges, however, acquit more often (42 times this decade) than they convict (32).
(Obviously, the sample size in bench trials is far smaller than in jury proceedings.)