Crime Arrests

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Crime - Arrests and the Caddo Correctional
Center
A STUDY OF THE PAST ELEVEN YEARS Caddo Parish
including Shreveport, Vivian, Greenwood,
Blanchard, Oil City, Mooringsport, and all
surrounding areas
Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator and Reno
Research
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Crime in Caddo Parish
When crime is referred to in this study, it means
crime committed in Shreveport, all rural areas in
Caddo Parish and all smaller municipalities in
Caddo Parish.
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Crime in Caddo Parish
There are seven crime categories that the FBI has
designated as Part I Crimes. These categories
are universally used as an index to measure
crime. The categories are murder and
non-negligent manslaughter, rape, robbery,
aggravated assault, burglary, theft and motor
vehicle theft. These are misdemeanor and felony
crimes. Part I Crime in Caddo Parish decreased
27 from 1997 - 2007.
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Crime and the Population in Caddo Parish

This compares the population of Caddo Parish to
the crime rate in Caddo Parish. From 1997 until
2007, crime has decreased 27 and the population
has increased 1. There is not a correlation
between population and crime.
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Crime and Unemployment in Caddo Parish
Unemployment has been reduced by 24 in the 11
years between 1997 and 2007. Crime has also been
reduced, but unemployment has extreme peaks and
valleys and is not a useful indicator of crime.
For instance, in 1999, crime was very high while
unemployment was at an 11-year low.
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Arrests in Caddo Parish
The term arrests refers to the persons actually
booked into Caddo Correctional Center. All felons
are booked into Caddo Correctional Center,
including those arrested in Shreveport or other
incorporated areas. Only misdemeanors booked
into Shreveport City jail are not included in the
above numbers.
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Crime and Arrests in Caddo Parish
Arrests in Caddo Parish have increased 40 from
1997 to 2007. This is an annual increase of
about 4 per year. Arrests in Caddo Parish have
increased 40 and crime has decreased 27 from
1997 to 2007.
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Crime and Arrests in Caddo Parish
There is a definite and strong correlation
between arrests and crime in Caddo Parish. Crime
has a downward slope trend when arrests have a
upward slope trend.
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Crime and Drug Arrests in Caddo Parish
Drug arrests in Caddo Parish have increased 52
from 1997 2007. This is approximately 5 per
year. Drug arrests comprised 37 of all arrests
in 2007. Every year drug arrests increased,
crime decreased. Every year that drug arrests
decreased, crime increased. The correlation of
this data is almost 100.
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Prisoner Capacity at the Parish Facility
In the 12 years between 1994 and 2006, the
prisoner capacity has increased by 300, and
Caddo Correctional Center is once again full.
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Caddo Correctional Centers Average Daily
Population
The average daily population of Caddo
Correctional Center has increased 40 from 1997
until 2008. The average increase is
approximately 4 per year.
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Caddo Correctional Centers Pretrial and
Unsentenced Prisoners
The trend of holding more pretrial and
unsentenced prisoners continues. Between 1998
and May of 2008, the number of pretrial and
unsentenced prisoners has increased by 37.
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Prisoners Average Length of Stay at Caddo
Correctional Center for Major Felony Crimes
Two factors influence prisoner populations.
First, the number of persons arrested and booked
into jail. Secondly, the length of stay, this is
time between arrest, trial, and sentencing. The
graph above shows that it takes longer in Caddo
Parish to get tried and sentenced than the
national average. This not only causes jail
overcrowding, but also unnecessarily costs Caddo
Parish taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars
each year. At more than 50 per day, per
prisoner, you can see quickly how delays cost
money.
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The Caddo Correctional Centers Current Capacity
and Projections for the Future
Using a peak factor with a linear trend line,
Caddo Correctional Center will be over capacity
by 2009. As a matter of fact, as this study was
being finalized on Memorial Weekend, 2008, the
prisoner population exceeded 1,500.
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The Problem The Problem is that the Caddo
Correctional Center population has exceeded jail
capacity. Caddo Parish is housing 1,500
prisoners in a jail designed to house 1,070. We
must increase our jail capacity.