ARE COURTS REAPING MAXIMUM BENEFITS FROM STATISTICS?

• NCJ Number: 50167
• Journal: State Court Journal Volume: 2 Issue: 3 Dated: (SUMMER 1978) Pages: 13-18
• Author(s): V E FLANGO; L A JENSEN
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 6 pages
• Grant Number(s): 77-SS-99-6002
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: NATIONAL COURTS STATISTICS PROJECT

Annotation

THE IMPORTANCE OF COURT STATISTICS IS DISCUSSED, AND THE POTENTIAL OF NATIONWIDE ANALYSES OF CASELOAD STATISTICS FROM STATE APPELLATE AND TRIAL COURTS IS CONSIDERED.

Abstract

COURT STATISTICS CAN AID MANAGEMENT, OPERATIONS, PLANNING, RESEARCH, BUDGETING, AND THE PROVISION OF INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURTS TO THE PUBLIC, TO LEGISLATURES, AND TO EXECUTIVE AGENCIES. COMPILING CASELOAD STATISTICS FOR STATE COURTS ON A NATIONWIDE BASIS WOULD MAKE IT POSSIBLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN NATIONAL TRENDS AND ISOLATED PROBLEMS IN COURT ACTIVITIES. STATE COURT CASELOAD STATISTICS COULD BE OBTAINED EITHER BY SURVEYS OR BY RELIANCE ON PUBLISHED ANNUAL REPORTS. ALTHOUGH BOTH APPROACHES HAVE THEIR STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, THE LATTER HAS TWO MAJOR ADVANTAGES: IT IS ACCURATE TO THE EXTENT THAT IT RELIES ON REPORTS ACTUALLY USED FOR MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING PURPOSES, AND IT IS ECONOMICAL. DESPITE VARIATIONS FROM STATE TO STATE IN THE ACCURACY AND COMPLETENESS OF CASELOAD STATISTICS AND IN CASE DEFINITION AND CLASSIFICATION, SUBJECT MATTER JURISDICTION, AND REPORTING PERIODS, IT IS POSSIBLE TO MAKE SOME CROSS-STATE COMPARISONS ON THE BASIS OF PUBLISHED CASELOAD STATISTICS. THE NATIONAL COURT STATISTICS PROJECT DETERMINED THAT, IN THEIR ANNUAL JUDICIAL REPORTS, STATES SEEMED CONCERNED WITH THREE QUESTIONS: HOW MANY CASES WERE PROCESSED? WHAT TYPES OF CASES WERE PROCESSED? IN WHAT MANNER WERE CASES DISPOSED? TO ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS, THE STATES GATHER AND ANALYZE GROSS VOLUME STATISTICS, STATISTICS ON CASES BY CATEGORY, AND STATISTICS ON MANNER OF DISPOSITION (PLEAS, DISMISSALS, ACQUITTALS, CONVICTIONS, ETC.). TIME INTERVAL STATISTICS (E.G., AGE OF PENDING CASES) ARE BECOMIMG INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT DUE TO INTEREST IN REDUCING COURT BACKLOGS. BOTH THE QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF PUBLISHED STATE COURT STATISTICS ARE IMPROVING. COURT ADMINISTRATORS SOON SHOULD BE ABLE TO USE THE STATISTICS FOR A VARIETY OF MANAGEMENT AND PLANNING PURPOSES. (LKM)