Final unofficial stats: Fourth Department 2005

Here are my unofficial 2005 stats for the Fourth Department:

Total criminal cases decided: 577
Total reversals/modifications: 58

On the face of it, the Fourth Department reversed or modified about 10% of the criminal convictions reviewed, which is right around the historic average for the Court. However, 5 of those 58 reversals were People's appeals, 2 were modifications of orders of protection that can hardly be characterized as substantive reversals, and 17 were sentence modifications (some more significant than others). When those cases are removed, the actual number of substantive, pro-defendant reversals drops to 38 for the year--or about 5% of the total criminal cases heard.