Once a case is filed by the District Attorney's (DA) Office, it can be resolved in a variety of ways, including by dismissal, diversion, guilty plea, or by acquittal or guilty verdict at trial. Dismissed cases include cases where defendants have been determined by a judge to qualify for mental health diversion or another diversion program, and have their cases dismissed upon completing the requirements of the diversion program. In some instances, cases are dismissed by the DA's Office due to changes in the case.

This section presents data on all cases prosecuted by the DA's Office that have reached a final resolution (a case disposition). For more in-depth analyses on race and prosecution, please see our series of Race and Prosecutions reports .

Why is this important? It is important to review how cases are resolved to ensure we are addressing serious crime effectively while minimizing unnecessary punitiveness.