Napa County — Criminal Defense Intelligence
Comprehensive intelligence briefing for Napa County — the Bay Area’s smallest court (6 judges) with the best clearance rate (98.5%), zero vacancies, fastest disposition (118 days), and the largest retirement wave (33.3%). No electronic monitoring available.
Criminal Filings
3,400
Cases/Judge
567
Vacancies
0 / 6
PD/DA Parity
0.47
Retirement Wave
33.3%
Clearance Rate
98.5%
Napa County Court System
Caseload, disposition, and judicial capacity data — FY 2023-24.
Criminal Filings
3,400
980 felonies · 2,420 misdemeanors
Dispositions
3,350
98.5% clearance rate
Pending Cases
1,050
+0.5% YoY growth
Cases per Judge
567
Moderate
Avg Days to Disposition
118
FASTEST in Bay Area
Trial Rate
2.2%
Infractions
7,200
Most Efficient Court
Napa has the best clearance rate (98.5%), fastest disposition time (118 days), and smallest backlog growth (+0.5%) in the Bay Area. With 6 judges and zero vacancies, this small court operates optimally.
Bench Composition
Judicial profiles, vacancies, and demographics — 2024.
Authorized Judgeships
6
6 filled — smallest in Bay Area
Vacancies
0
Zero vacancies
Commissioners
2
8 total bench officers
Criminal Assignments
2
2 civil · 1 family · 1 juvenile
Judicial Demographics
Gender
Male: 3 (50%)
Female: 3 (50%)
Perfect gender parity
Race/Ethnicity
White: 4 (67%)
Hispanic: 1
Declined: 1
67% white, 0% Black, 0% Asian — minimal diversity
Prior Career
Prosecutor: 3 (50%)
Public Defender: 1 (17%)
Private Practice: 1
Government: 1
50% prosecutors vs 17% defenders — significant tilt
Appointed By
Newsom: 2
Brown: 2
Schwarzenegger: 1
Other: 1
Avg years on bench: 14
Most experienced bench in Bay Area
Retirement Eligible (5yr)
2 judges
33.3% of bench — HIGHEST in Bay Area
Vacancy Rate
0%
Zero vacancies
Existential Retirement Risk
With only 6 judges, losing 2 (33.3%) would be catastrophic. Napa has the most experienced bench (14.0 avg years) but also the largest retirement wave. Each vacancy would eliminate 1 of only 2 criminal judges.
Prosecution & Defense Funding
DA vs PD budgets, charging patterns, and resource parity — FY 2023-24.
DA Budget
$15M
15 attorneys
PD Budget
$7M
8 attorneys
PD/DA Ratio
0.47
Below average
Attorney Ratio
0.53
Decline Rate
9.5%
Diversion Rate
7.8%
Felony Filing Rate
490/100K
2nd lowest
Case Review
8 days
Charging Patterns
Pretrial Detention & Bail
Jail population, pretrial detention, and release patterns — 2023.
Avg Daily Jail Pop
210
76.1% capacity
Detention Rate
68.6%
3rd lowest
Median Bail
$35K
Tied for lowest
OR Release Rate
32.8%
3rd highest
Pretrial Detainees
144
Avg Days Detained
20
FTA Rate
12.8%
Pretrial Staff
5
Release Types
Risk assessment tool: Public Safety Assessment (PSA)
No Electronic Monitoring
Napa is the only Bay Area county without electronic monitoring as a pretrial release option. This limits alternatives to detention and may contribute to higher bail reliance.
Specialty Courts
Data Sources
Related Intelligence
Explore All 9 Bay Area Counties
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