Arizona Criminal Justice Commission
\

Statistical Analysis Center Publication
Our mission is to continuously address, improve, sustain and enhance public safety in the State of
Arizona through the coordination, cohesiveness and effectiveness of the Criminal Justice System.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault
in Arizona, CY2011-2015

January

2018

ARIZONA CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION

Chairperson
SHEILA POLK
Yavapai County Attorney
Vice-Chairperson
JOE R. BRUGMAN, Chief
Safford Police Department
PAUL PENZONE
Maricopa County Sheriff

MARK BRNOVICH
Attorney General

SEAN DUGGAN, Chief
Chandler Police Department

DAVID K. BYERS, Director
Administrative Office of the Courts

KELLY “KC” CLARK
Navajo County Sheriff

VACANT
Mayor

STEVE WILLIAMS
Navajo County Supervisor

C.T. WRIGHT, Chairperson
Board of Executive Clemency

BARBARA LAWALL
Pima County Attorney

FRANK MILSTEAD, Director
Department of Public Safety

BILL MONTGOMERY
Maricopa County Attorney

CHARLES RYAN, Director
Department of Corrections

DAVID SANDERS
Pima County Chief Probation Officer

DANIEL SHARP, Chief
Oro Valley Police Department

VACANT
Law Enforcement Leader

MARK NAPIER
Pima County Sheriff

DAVID COLE
Former Judge

ANDREW T. LEFEVRE
Executive Director
MATTHEW BILESKI, M.A.
Statistical Analysis Center
Senior Research Analyst

GRACE KIM, M.S.
Statistical Analysis Center
Research Analyst

Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

The Reporting of Sexual Assault
in Arizona, CY2011-2015
Prepared by
Matthew Bileski, M.A. Senior Research Analyst
Grace Kim, M.S. Research Analyst

The Arizona Criminal Justice Commission would like to thank the Arizona Department of Public
Safety for providing the data necessary to perform the analysis presented in this report. This
report and all contents of the report are solely the product of the Arizona Criminal Justice
Commission.
Suggested citation: Bileski, M. and G. Kim. (2017). The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona,
CY 2011-2015. Arizona Criminal Justice Commission. Phoenix, AZ.
The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY 2011-2015

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ................................................................................................... 1
INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................. 3

Reporting Requirements.................................................................................................. 3
ACCH Data Limitations .................................................................................................... 4
SEXUAL ASSAULT-RELATED ARRESTS, FINDINGS, AND SENTENCING ........................ 4

Trends in Arrests, Filings, and Convictions ........................................................................ 4
Arrests and Subsequent Case Disposition Findings............................................................. 5
Sexual Assault-Related Arrestees ..................................................................................... 7
Sexual Assault-Related Sentencing ................................................................................... 8
SEXUAL ASSAULT-RELATED ARRESTS INVOLVING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE .................. 9

Arrests and Convictions ................................................................................................... 9
Conviction Sentencing ....................................................................................................10
FALSE REPORTING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT INVOLVING A SPOUSE ...............................10
DISCUSSION..................................................................................................................10
APPENDIX ......................................................................................................................12

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY 2011-2015

Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

LIST OF TABLES
Table 1. Arrest and Conviction Information for Sexual Assault-Related Records Available in the ACCH,
CY2011-2015 ......................................................................................................................................5
Table 2. Highest Level of Sentencing Availble in the ACCH for Convictions Resulting from Arrests, FY20112015 ..................................................................................................................................................8
Table 3. Highest Level of Sentencing Available in the ACCH for Convictions Resulting from Arrests,
CY2014-2015 .................................................................................................................................... 10

LIST OF CHARTS & FIGURES
Chart 1. Rape Reported to Police in Arizona, CY2011-2015 ...................................................................4
Figure 1. Arrests Leading to Sexual Assault-Related Arrest and/or Disposition Charges, FY2011-2015 ......6
Figure 2. Arrests Leading to Sexual Assault-Related and/or Disposition Charges, FY2014-2015 ................7
Figure 3. Demographics for Sexual Assault-Related Arrestees, FY2011-2015 ...........................................8
Figure 4. Sexual Assault-Related Arrests with Charges Flagged for Domestic Violence, FY2014-2015........9

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY 2011-2015

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) §41-2406 requires the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission
(ACJC) to compile information obtained from all Arizona disposition reporting forms on sexual
assault (A.R.S. §13-1406) and the false reporting of sexual assault involving a spouse (A.R.S.
§13-2907.03). The Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) provides the ACJC with the criminal
history records to meet the reporting requirement on an annual basis. Utilizing DPS arrest and
disposition data, the ACJC compiles an annual sexual assault report and provides the report to
the Governor; the President of the Senate; the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the
Secretary of State; and the Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records.
Data used to complete this report are extracted by the DPS from the Arizona Computerized
Criminal History (ACCH) repository. By statute, local law enforcement agencies, prosecutors, and
the courts are required to submit to the ACCH repository all arrest and subsequent case
disposition information for felony, sexual, driving under the influence, and domestic violencerelated offenses. This report focuses on arrests made from calendar years (CY) 2011 to 2015.
The ACJC is required to compile all law enforcement reporting, charges, and subsequent case
disposition findings (e.g., convictions, acquittals, court dismissals, etc.) and sentencing of A.R.S.
§13-1406 sexual assault charges and A.R.S. §13-2907.03 false reporting of sexual assault of a
spouse charges. In addition to the mandatory sexual assault statutes, data in the report include
A.R.S. §13-1423 violent sexual assault arrest and disposition information reported to the ACCH.
The following summarizes some of the latest findings in year-over-year change from CY2011 to
CY2015 for all sexual assault-related1 arrest and disposition information available in the ACCH,
and any additional sources of Arizona court case information available to the ACJC:
 From CY2011-2015, 1,468 arrests including 3,115 sexual assault-related charges were
recorded in the ACCH. Arrest charges were filed or amended by the prosecutor for
1,077 of the total 1,468 arrests over the ten-year period (775 resulted in sexual
assault-related charges filed or amended by the prosecutor). A total of 382 arrests
resulted in sexual assault-related convictions, and an additional 487 arrests ended with
convictions for other offenses only.
 From CY2014-2015, 601 arrests resulted in 298 cases with sexual assault-related
charges filed or amended. A total of 142 arrests led to sexual assault-related
convictions while 209 arrests concluded with convictions for other offenses only.
 As of July 2017, 233 (15.9 percent) of the 1,468 sexual assault-related records in the
ACCH were pending subsequent case disposition information or case information was
unavailable for all arrest charges. For arrests from CY2014-2015, 132 (22.0 percent)
of the 601 sexual assault-related records were pending disposition information or
information was unavailable for all arrest charges.
 Nearly three out of every four arrestees for sexual assault-related offenses were
white/Caucasian males; approximately 60.0 percent of the arrestees were under the
age of 35.
 Across both study periods, cases with at least one sexual assault-related conviction
and sentencing information available in the ACCH (77.0 percent or more) were more
1

For the purposes of the report, all references to “sexual assault-related” arrest and disposition
information include statute charges for sexual assault and violent sexual assault.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY 2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

likely to lead to a prison sentence than cases with other offense convictions (48.0
percent or fewer).
 From CY2014-2015, there were 62 sexual assault-related arrests with charges flagged
for domestic violence in the ACCH; 18 arrests concluded with sexual assault-related
convictions while 27 arrests ended with convictions for other offenses. According to
convictions with available sentencing data in the ACCH, 13 of 17 sexual assault-related
conviction cases resulted in prison sentencing. A total of seven arrests had no
disposition information attached to charges in the ACCH.
False reporting of a sexual assault involving a spouse has been a statute-specific crime in Arizona’s
criminal code since 2005. No arrest charges of false reporting of sexual assault involving a spouse
were reported to the ACCH repository from CY2011-2015.
In August 2005, the sexual assault involving a spouse statute (specifically A.R.S. §13-1406.01)
was repealed from the state statutes by Senate Bill 1040. As a result, the ACJC no longer receives
data that meet the A.R.S. §41-2406.C reporting requirement for identifying sexual assault charges
involving a spouse. The ACJC is also unable to report whether the victim and the offender were
estranged at the time of the offense. Except for a general indication of domestic violence, there
is no field on the disposition reporting form that describes the victim/offender relationship and
the status of the relationship. Nonetheless, the ACJC has elected to include arrest and disposition
information for the subset of sexual assault-related charges flagged for domestic violence.
While the ACCH repository is a valuable tool for understanding arrest and disposition findings
across the state, a number of sexual assault-related arrests in the ACCH from CY2011-2015 were
pending subsequent case disposition information for all charges as of July 2017. For this year’s
report, the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission’s Statistical Analysis Center used publicly
available Arizona court case information2 to further complete and update the ACCH arrest records
disposed through the court system. This resulted in an improvement to 15.9 percent of ACCH
arrest records pending disposition information over the five-year period.

2Publicly

available court case information is not always updated regularly and may not display complete information.
For these reasons, it is important to consider the limitations when interpreting data in this report.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

INTRODUCTION
Arizona Revised Statute (A.R.S.) §41-2406 mandates that the Arizona Criminal Justice
Commission (ACJC) report the number of police reports, charges, convictions, and sentences
obtained from disposition forms submitted to the Arizona Department of Public Safety (DPS) by
Arizona criminal justice agencies for sexual assault (A.R.S. §13-1406) and false reporting of sexual
assault involving a spouse (A.R.S. §13-2907.03). In addition, A.R.S. §41-2406 requires that the
report further specify the number of charges where the spousal relationship between the victim
and the offender was “estranged.” The ACJC submits the annual sexual assault report to the
Governor; the President of the Senate; the Speaker of the House of Representatives; the
Secretary of State; and the Director of the Arizona State Library, Archives, and Public Records.

Reporting Requirements
A.R.S. §41-2406.A requires DPS to provide to ACJC “each applicable disposition reporting form
relating to sexual assaults pursuant to A.R.S. §13-1406 and false reporting of sexual assault
pursuant to section §13-2907.03…”. In turn, A.R.S. §41-2406.B (1-4) requires the ACJC to,
“…maintain the following records regarding sexual assaults pursuant to section §131406 and false reporting of sexual assault pursuant to section §13-2907.03 that are
submitted to the Commission by the Department of Public Safety: 1) The number of
police reports that are filed; 2) The number of charges that are filed and what charges
are filed; 3) The number of convictions that are obtained; and 4) The sentences that
are imposed for each conviction.”
A.R.S. §41-2406.C goes on to state that:
“…the records shall identify the total number of police reports, charges, convictions
and sentences for all sexual assaults and the number of police reports, charges,
convictions and sentences for those sexual assaults that involved a spouse. For those
sexual assaults that involved a spouse, the report shall identify whether the victim and
the victim’s spouse were estranged. The records shall also identify the total number
of police reports, charges, convictions and sentences for all false reports that relate to
sexual assault of a spouse pursuant to section §13-2907.03.”
The information in the ACCH consists of arrest and disposition information submitted by law
enforcement, prosecutor, and court agencies across Arizona. Data used to compile this report
were extracted from the Arizona Computerized Criminal History (ACCH) repository by the DPS
and provided to the Arizona Criminal Justice Commission’s Statistical Analysis Center (AZSAC).
The information in this report includes: 1) the number of reported offenses to law enforcement;
2) the number of arrests; 3) the number of arrests leading to charges filed; 4) the charge
outcomes including the number of convictions obtained; and 5) the types of sentences resulting
from these convictions. Charges for sexual assault and violent sexual assault have been combined
into a single “sexual assault-related” category. In 2005, A.R.S. §13-1406.01 (the sexual assault
involving a spouse statute) was repealed. The victim/offender relationship is not identifiable in
the criminal history records compiled and maintained at the DPS.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

ACCH Data Limitations
Limitations in the timeliness and completeness of records in the ACCH repository present
obstacles to the reporting of criminal justice system activity in Arizona, and should be considered
when interpreting data in this report. Arrest charges are only entered into the ACCH when
fingerprints are taken properly and cited or summoned defendants are booked prior to
sentencing. Also, prosecuting agencies and/or the courts may not effectively close out a criminal
history record in the ACCH if a final disposition form was not submitted to DPS in a timely manner
or the reporting form was rejected by DPS due to entry errors. For this reason, researchers used
publicly available court case information to close out pending criminal history records, and data
in the report will address completeness of sexual assault-related arrests in the ACCH by July 2017.
SEXUAL ASSAULT-RELATED ARRESTS, FINDINGS, AND SENTENCING
Data provided to the ACJC were extracted from the ACCH in August 2017, giving all CY2015 and
prior arrest charges a case processing time of at least 18 months from the arrest date. The report
summarizes the sexual assault-related arrest and disposition data in the ACCH, in combination
with any available court data, for arrests processed in the ACCH from CY2011-2015.

According to the ACCH data, 1,461 arrests took
place from CY2011-2015 that included at least
one sexual assault-related charge (see Table 1).
An additional seven arrests occurred during this
period that had charges later amended to sexual
assault-related charges by the prosecutor. While
there were 1,292 sexual assault-related charges
associated with 601 arrests from CY2014 to
CY2015, Chart 1 shows a total of 6,486 rapes
reported to law enforcement agencies across
Arizona during the same two-year period.

Sexual Assault Reported to Police
Using data from the annual FBI Uniform
Crime Reporting (UCR) Program, the
number of rapes reported to law
enforcement in Arizona rose from 3,050
in CY2013 to 3,108 in CY2015.
Chart 1. Rape† Reported to Police
in Arizona, CY 2011-2015
4,000

Total Incidents

Trends in Arrests, Filings, and Convictions

3,000

3,050

3,378

3,108

2,000

1,000
Throughout the five-year period, charges were
filed for 1,077 of the total 1,468 sexual assault0
related records (see Table 1). Arizona
CY 2013
CY 2014
CY 2015
prosecutors file charges against arrestees for
† The revised rape definition was first reported in CY2013.
sexual assault-related offenses in more than 200
cases per year. While a large number of the sexual assault-related records resulted in sexual
assault-related filings, many records included filings for other offense charges. A list of other
charge filings by statute from the ACCH is available in the Appendix.

According to Table 1, approximately 60 percent of sexual assault-related arrest records from
CY2011 to CY2015 resulted in a conviction finding. Sexual assault-related convictions decreased
from 87 in CY2014 to 55 in CY2015, with a larger percentage of cases still pending disposition
information in CY2015. The total number of other offense convictions increased slightly from 102
in CY2014 to 107 in CY2015.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

There were 29.3 percent of records that were pending disposition information for all arrest
charges associated with the records. Pending case disposition information is more prevalent
during the most recent years, likely due to the reduced timeframes for case completion. This is
evident in Table 1, with 15.9 percent of sexual assault-related records from CY2011 to CY2015
pending subsequent case disposition information in the ACCH repository. The percentage of
records pending disposition information highest in CY2015 (26.5 percent). Despite efforts to use
court case data to reduce pending case disposition information, one should still expect to see
lower totals for records with charges filed and records leading to convictions in CY2015.
Table 1. Arrest and Conviction Information for Sexual Assault-Related Records†
Available in the ACCH, CY2011-2015
2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Total

Sexual Assault-Related Records

276

314

277

295

306

1,468

Sexual Assault-Related Arrests
Other Offense Arrests

274
2

312
2

276
1

295
0

304
2

1,461
7

Total Sexual Assault-Related Charges
Associated with Arrest Records

562

655

606

651

641

3,115

Records Leading to Charges Filed

213

227

211

225

201

1,077

Records Leading to Convictions

156

187

175

189

162

869

79
77

94
93

67
108

87
102

55
107

382
487

9.1%

11.5%

14.4%

17.3%

26.5%

15.9%

Sexual Assault-Related
Other Offense Only

Percent of Records Pending All
Disposition Information

† A record is defined as a unique arrest event, including any subsequent case disposition information resulting from the arrest charges.

Arrests and Subsequent Case Disposition Findings
As previously mentioned, 1,461 sexual assault-related arrests were made throughout Arizona
from CY2011-2015 (see Figure 1). In addition to these arrests, seven arrests for other offense
charges were later amended to sexual assault-related charges by prosecutors. Researchers were
able to confirm that 775 (52.8 percent) arrests resulted in sexual assault-related charges filed by
the prosecutor. Alternately, 380 (25.9 percent) resulted in no sexual assault-related charges filed,
while 313 (21.3 percent) arrests had no conclusive disposition findings (i.e., pending cases or
unknown findings) available for sexual assault-related arrest charges in the ACCH and court
records.
When reviewing the 1,235 arrests with at least one reported disposition finding, over 70 percent
resulted in a conviction finding (see Figure 1). Over the five-year period, 382 arrests led to sexual
assault-related convictions, 487 ended with other offense convictions, and the remaining 366
arrests resulted in no conviction findings (i.e., acquittals, dismissals and charges not filed or
referred).
From CY2011 to CY2015, 233 (15.9 percent) arrests were pending disposition findings (or
disposition information was unavailable) through July 2017 (see Figure 1).

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

Figure 1. Arrests Leading to Sexual Assault-Related Arrest and/or Disposition
Charges, FY2011-2015
Arrest

Other Offense
Arrests
7 (0.4%)

Sexual AssaultRelated Arrests
1,461 (99.5%)

Disposition Findings

Sexual Assault-Related
Charge(s) Filed or Amended
by the Prosecutor
775 (52.8%)

18
(2.3%)

164
(21.1%)

Conviction (Sexual Assault)
382
(49.2%)

211
(27.2%)

Conviction (Other)
Acquittal
Court Dismissed

Conviction (Other)
No Sexual Assault-Related
Arrest Charges Filed
380 (25.9%)*

158
(41.5%)

200
(52.6%)

Acquittal (Other)
Court Dismissed (Other)
No Charges Filed/Referred

1

(0.2%)

21
(5.5%)

Pending or Unknown
Disposition Findings for All
Sexual Assault-Related
Charges1
313 (21.3%)*

76
(24.2%)

Conviction (Other)
Court Dismissed (Other)
All Charges Pending Findings

233
(74.4%)

4
(1.2%)

1

There were 313 cases that had pending or unknown disposition findings. Using publicly available court case information and using the Arizona
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts database, the ACJC were able to find completed disposition findings for 81 cases. The remaining 233 cases are
still either pending disposition findings or have unknown disposition findings. The ACJC is unable to provide information for the remaining 233 cases due
to unavailable data.
*
Percentage includes both sexual assault-related and other offense arrests.

Similar data are displayed in Figure 2 for all arrests leading to sexual assault-related charges from
CY2014-2015. Of the 601 arrests leading to sexual assault-related arrest and/or disposition
charges, 298 arrests resulted in sexual assault-related charges filed, 127 led to no sexual assaultrelated charges filed, and 176 had pending disposition findings or unavailable disposition
information for all sexual assault-related arrest charges.
Approximately 75 percent of the 469 arrests with at least one disposition finding led to a
conviction (see Figure 2). Over the two years, 142 arrests concluded in sexual assault-related

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

convictions, 209 ended with other offense convictions, and 118 led to non-conviction findings
(i.e., acquittals, dismissals and charges not filed/referred). The remaining 132 arrests had no
disposition information available for all arrest charges in the ACCH and court case records.
Figure 2. Arrests Leading to Sexual Assault-Related Arrest and/or Disposition
Charges, FY2014-2015

Arrest

Disposition Findings
7
(2.3%)

Other Offense
Arrests
2 (0.3%)

Sexual AssaultRelated Arrests
599 (99.6%)

Sexual Assault-Related
Charge(s) Filed or Amended
by the Prosecutor
298 (49.6%)

No Sexual Assault-Related
Arrest Charges Filed
127 (21.1%)*

Pending or Unknown
Disposition Findings for All
Sexual Assault-Related
Charges1
176 (29.3%)*

56
(18.7%)

Conviction (Sexual Assault)

93
(31.2%)

142
(47.6%)

1
(0.7%)

Acquittal
Court Dismissed

Conviction (Other)

43
(33.8%)
8
(6.2%)

Conviction (Other)

75
(59.0%)

Court Dismissed (Other)
No Charges Filed/Referred

41
(23.2%)

132
(75.0%)

Acquittal (Other)

Conviction (Other)
Court Dismissed (Other)
3
(1.7%)

1

There were 176 cases that had pending or unknown disposition findings. Using publicly available court case information and using the Arizona
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts database, the ACJC were able to find completed disposition findings for 44 cases. The remaining 132 cases are
still either pending disposition findings or have unknown disposition findings. The ACJC is unable to provide information for the remaining 132 cases due
to unavailable data.
*
Percentage includes both sexual assault-related and other offense arrests.

Sexual Assault-Related Arrestees
From CY2011 to CY2015, the majority of individuals arrested in Arizona for sexual assault-related
offenses were white/Caucasian males (see Figure 3). Just over one percent of arrestees (1.4
percent) were female. Approximately three out of every four (74.4 percent) sexual assault-related
arrestees were white/Caucasian, followed by Black (18.4 percent), American Indian/Alaskan

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

Natives (5.5 percent), Asian/Pacific Islanders (1.2 percent), and arrestees of “unknown” race (0.5
percent). Nearly 60 percent of arrestees were under the age of 35 at the date of arrest, and 19.4
percent were 45 or older at arrest.
Figure 3. Demographics for Sexual Assault-Related Arrestees†, FY2011-2015

Gender

Race
1.2%

1.4%

Age
0.5%

3.3%

5.5%
16.1%

18.4%
74.4%

20.9%

98.6%

Male
Female

30.6%

29.1%

White/Caucasian
Black
American Indian/Alaskan Native
Asian/Pacific Islander
Unknown

24 and Under
25-34
35-44
45-59
60 and Older

† Individuals arrested multiple times over the ten-year period are only counted once in the data.

Sexual Assault-Related Sentencing
In Table 2, data are provided regarding the highest level of sentencing assigned to convictions
stemming from sexual assault-related records in the ACCH during the two- and five-year periods
studied. It is important to note that sentencing information could only be captured from
convictions available in the ACCH, and any convictions gathered from publicly available Arizona
court data are not included in the sentencing results available in Tables 2 and 3. From CY20112015, 78.4 percent of arrests leading to at least one sexual assault-related conviction resulted in
prison sentences, while only 47.9 percent of other offense convictions resulted in a prison
sentence. In contrast, 12.2 percent of arrests leading to at least one sexual assault-related
conviction resulted in a jail sentence, while 25.4 percent of other offense convictions resulted in
a jail sentence (see Table 2). Similar findings were discovered over the two-year period.
Table 2. Highest Level of Sentencing Available in the ACCH for
Convictions Resulting from Arrests, FY 2011-2015

Prison Sentence
Jail Sentence
Other Sentencing Indicated
Total Convictions Recorded in the ACCH

At Least One Sexual AssaultRelated Conviction
2011-2015
2014-2015
269 (78.4%)
97 (77.0%)
42 (12.2%)
16 (12.7%)
32 (9.3%)
13 (10.3%)
343
126

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

Other Offense
Conviction(s) Only
2011-2015
2014-2015
183 (47.9%)
72 (45.6%)
97 (25.4%)
42 (26.6%)
102 (26.7%)
44 (27.8%)
382
158

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Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

SEXUAL ASSAULT-RELATED ARRESTS INVOLVING DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
In order to better understand the processing of sexual assault cases that occur in the context of
a domestic relationship, this section reviews sexual assault-related arrests with charges flagged
for domestic violence. Domestic violence is not an official statutory offense; rather, an offender
is charged with an eligible domestic violence offense (e.g., sexual assault, aggravated assault,
etc.) and the arrest charge is flagged for domestic violence in the ACCH repository. It should be
noted that Arizona, like many other states, defines domestic violence in many relationship
contexts, including marriage, dating, familial, and cohabiting relationships.

Arrests and Convictions
Sexual assault-related arrests with one or more arrest charges flagged for domestic violence
totaled 62 from CY2014-2015 (see Figure 4). A total of 38 arrests led to sexual assault-related
charges filed by the prosecutor, and 18 led to sexual assault-related convictions. Of the remaining
44 arrests, 27 resulted in other offense convictions, 10 led to no conviction, and seven were still
pending disposition information or the finding was unavailable.
Figure 4. Sexual Assault-Related Arrests with Charges Flagged for Domestic
Violence, FY2014-2015
Arrest

Disposition Findings
1
(2.6%)
Sexual Assault-Related
Charge(s) Filed by the
Prosecutor
38 (61.3%)

6
(15.7%)

Conviction (Sexual Assault)
18
(47.3%)

13
(34.2%)

Conviction (Other)
Acquittal
Court Dismissed

1
(9.0%)
Sexual AssaultRelated Arrests
62 (100.0%)

No Sexual Assault-Related
Arrest Charges Filed
11 (17.7%)

Pending or Unknown
Disposition Findings for All
Sexual Assault-Related
Charges1
13 (21.0%)

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

Conviction (Other)

2
(18.1%)
8
(72.7%)

7
(53.8%)

6
(46.1%)

Court Dismissed
(Other)

Conviction (Other)

9

Arizona Criminal Justice Commission
1

There were 13 cases that had pending or unknown disposition findings. Using publicly available court case information and using the Arizona
Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts database, the ACJC were able to find completed disposition findings for six cases. The remaining seven cases
are still either pending disposition findings or have unknown disposition findings. The ACJC is unable to provide information for the remaining seven
cases due to unavailable data.

Conviction Sentencing
When reviewing convictions linked to domestic violence in the ACCH, prison sentencing was more
probable for sexual assault-related convictions than other offense convictions (see Table 3).
Table 3. Highest Level of Sentencing Available in the ACCH for Convictions
Resulting from Arrests, CY2014-2015
Sexual Assault-Related Arrests Flagged for Domestic
Violence Resulting in Conviction Findings
At Least One Sexual
Assault-Related Conviction

Other Offense
Conviction(s) Only

13
2
2
17

10
6
5
21

Prison Sentence
Jail Sentence
Other Sentence Indicated
Total Convictions Recorded in the ACCH

FALSE REPORTING OF SEXUAL ASSAULT INVOLVING A SPOUSE
From CY2011-2015, no arrest or disposition charges were reported for false reporting of sexual
assault involving a spouse. The charge of false reporting of sexual assault involving a spouse
(A.R.S. §13-2907.03) is a class one misdemeanor, and A.R.S. §41-1750.A1 does not require these
types of misdemeanor offenses to be entered into the ACCH repository. Therefore, all arrest and
subsequent case disposition information on false reporting of sexual assault involving a spouse
may not be completely available in the ACCH.
DISCUSSION
According to the data available in the ACCH and publicly available state court records, Arizona
sexual assault-related records (i.e., sexual assault-related arrest and/or disposition finding)
totaled 601 from CY2014-2015. Over this period, 142 of the 601 arrests resulted in sexual assaultrelated convictions, and an additional 209 arrest records resulted in convictions for other offenses
only. Also during this two-year period, 132 (22.0 percent) sexual assault-related records were
pending case disposition information or disposition information was unavailable for all arrest
charges entered into the ACCH.
From CY2014-2015, 62 sexual assault-related arrests with charges flagged for domestic violence
were reported to the ACCH. Of the 62 arrests, 38 resulted in sexual assault-related charges filed
and 18 led to sexual assault-related convictions. A total of 27 additional arrests led to convictions
for other offenses while seven arrests had no case disposition information for all arrest charges
available in the ACCH.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

10

Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

According to ACCH sentencing data, records with sexual assault-related convictions were more
likely to result in a prison sentence than records with other offense convictions only. From CY2014
to CY2015, 77.0 percent of records with sexual assault-related convictions led to a prison
sentence, compared to 45.6 percent of records with convictions for other offenses.

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

11

Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

APPENDIX
Appendix Table 1. Other Offense Filings in the ACCH, FY2011-2015
State Statute
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.
A.R.S.

§13-1103
§13-1104
§13-1105
§13-1201
§13-1202
§13-1203
§13-1204
§13-1302
§13-1303
§13-1304
§13-1307
§13-1308
§13-1402
§13-1403
§13-1404
§13-1405
§13-1410
§13-1417
§13-1424
§13-1425
§13-1502
§13-1504
§13-1505
§13-1506
§13-1507
§13-1508
§13-1602
§13-1703
§13-1704
§13-1802
§13-1803
§13-1805
§13-1814
§13-1902
§13-1904
§13-2002
§13-2008
§13-2102
§13-2307
§13-2308
§13-2310
§13-2312
§13-2316
§13-2321
§13-2409
§13-2411
§13-2503
§13-2506
§13-2508
§13-2512
§13-2702
§13-2809
§13-2810
§13-2904
§13-2910
§13-2915
§13-2921

Statute Literal

Total

Manslaughter
Second Degree Murder
First Degree Murder
Endangerment
Threatening or Intimidating
Assault
Aggravated Assault
Custodial Interference
Unlawful Imprisonment
Kidnapping
Sex Trafficking
Trafficking of Persons for Forced Labor or Services
Indecent Exposure
Public Sexual Indecency
Sexual Abuse
Sexual Conduct with a Minor
Molestation of a Child
Continuous Sexual Abuse of a Child
Voyeurism
Unlawful Disclosure of Images Depicting States of Nudity or Specific Sexual Activities
Criminal Trespass in the Third Degree
Criminal Trespass in the First Degree
Possession of Burglary Tools
Burglary in the Third Degree
Burglary in the Second Degree
Burglary in the First Degree
Criminal Damage
Arson of a Structure or Property
Arson of an Occupied Structure
Theft
Unlawful Use of Means of Transportation
Shoplifting
Theft of Means of Transportation
Robbery
Armed Robbery
Forgery
Taking Identity of Another Person or Entity
Theft of a Credit Card or Obtaining a Credit Card by Fraudulent Means
Trafficking in Stolen Property
Participating in or Assisting a Criminal Syndicate
Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices
Illegal Control of/Conducting an Enterprise
Computer Tampering
Participating in or Assisting a Criminal Street Gang
Obstructing Criminal Investigations or Prosecutions
Impersonating a Peace Officer
Escape in the Second Degree
Failure to Appear in the Second Degree
Resisting Arrest
Hindering Prosecution in the First Degree
Perjury
Tampering with Physical Evidence
Interfering with Judicial Proceedings
Disorderly Conduct
Cruelty to Animals; Interference with Working or Service Animal
Preventing Use of Telephone in Emergency
Harassment

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

1
3
7
9
39
186
537
4
43
615
2
1
39
44
487
534
189
9
21
1
2
15
1
8
66
41
18
2
2
14
2
1
5
19
66
11
7
1
1
2
1
2
2
1
1
3
4
6
4
4
2
2
8
20
3
8
2

12

Arizona Criminal Justice Commission

Appendix Table 1. Other Offense Filings in the ACCH, FY2011-2015 (Continued)
A.R.S. §13-2921.01 Aggravated Harassment
A.R.S. §13-2923
Stalking
A.R.S. §13-3019
Surreptitious Photographing, Videotaping, Filming or Digitally Recording or Viewing
A.R.S. §13-3102
Misconduct Involving Weapons
A.R.S. §13-3107
Unlawful Discharge of Firearms
A.R.S. §13-3204
Receiving Earnings of Prostitute
A.R.S. §13-3209
Pandering
A.R.S. §13-3212
Child Prostitution
A.R.S. §13-3214
Prostitution
A.R.S. §13-3404
Sale of Precursor or Regulated Chemicals
A.R.S. §13-3405
Possession, Use, Production, Sale or Transportation of Marijuana
A.R.S. §13-3406
Possession, Use, Administration, Acquisition, Sale, Manufacture or Transportation of Prescription-Only Drugs
A.R.S. §13-3407
Possession, Use, Administration, Acquisition, Sale, Manufacture or Transportation of Dangerous Drugs
A.R.S. §13-3408
Possession, Use, Administration, Acquisition, Sale, Manufacture or Transportation of Narcotic Drugs
A.R.S. §13-3409
Involving or Using Minors in Drug Offenses
A.R.S. §13-3415
Possession, Manufacture, Delivery and Advertisement of Drug Paraphernalia
A.R.S. §13-3506
Furnishing Harmful Items to Minors
A.R.S. §13-3506.01 Furnishing Harmful Items to Minors
A.R.S. §13-3552
Commercial Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
A.R.S. §13-3553
Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
A.R.S. §13-3554
Luring a Minor for Sexual Exploitation
A.R.S. §13-3601.02 Aggravated Domestic Violence
A.R.S. §13-3608
Incest
A.R.S. §13-3613
Contributing to Delinquency and Dependency
A.R.S. §13-3623
Child or Vulnerable Adult Abuse
A.R.S. §13-3721
Tattoos, Brands, Scarifications and Piercings
A.R.S. §13-3821
Sex Offender Registration Violation
A.R.S. §13-3822
Notice of Moving from Place of Residence or Change of Name or Electronic Information
A.R.S. §13-3904
Violation of Promise to Appear
A.R.S. §28-1382
Driving or Actual Physical Control while Under the Extreme Influence of Intoxicating Liquor
A.R.S. §28-1595
Failure to Stop or Provide Driver License or Evidence of Identity
A.R.S. §28-3473
Driving Violations
A.R.S. §28-622.01
Unlawful Flight from Pursuing Law Enforcement Vehicle
A.R.S. §32-1364
Crimes Against the Dead
A.R.S. §4-244
Unlawful Acts
A.R.S. §4-244.20
Unlawful Acts
A.R.S. §4-244.9
Unlawful Acts
Total Filings in the ACCH for Other Offenses

The Reporting of Sexual Assault in Arizona, CY2011-2015

4
7
11
18
2
1
2
10
1
1
13
2
17
4
10
16
15
1
10
77
21
3
2
38
49
1
6
3
6
1
1
3
2
2
2
1
4
3,495

13