Burglary / B&E in Suffolk

Burglary and breaking-and-entering cases in Suffolk result in dismissals at a slightly lower rate than the Virginia statewide average. Suffolk saw 53.8% of burglary charges dismissed compared to 58.2% statewide, a gap of 4.4 percentage points. This means Suffolk's 46.2% conviction rate exceeds the statewide pattern, suggesting prosecutors here maintain a stronger position in burglary prosecutions or that cases reaching court are somewhat stronger on average. No defendants were acquitted in the 221 Suffolk cases examined, indicating that cases either resolved through dismissal, plea, or conviction without trial.

Charge reductions occurred in only 2.7% of cases, suggesting Suffolk courts and prosecutors rarely negotiate burglary down to lesser offenses. When reductions did happen, they targeted trespass charges most frequently at 66.7% of all reductions. Defendants convicted of burglary in Suffolk faced substantial prison sentences: a median of 1,825 days and an average of 1,960 days. Cases moved relatively quickly through the system, with a median disposition time of 177 days, though the range was wide—25% resolved within 101 days while another 25% took over 309 days.