NCJ Number
173100
Date Published
1998
Length
116 pages
Annotation
Indiana's 1997 Judicial Report reflects an annual compilation of statistical data on the workload and related functions of the State judicial system.
Abstract
The statistical data are based on summary caseload reports submitted quarterly and from summary fiscal reports submitted annually by trial courts. The report is not intended to be an exact accounting of funds or provide complete details on every judicial decision. Rather, it is based on summary data and is intended to present an overview of the Indiana judiciary's workload and functioning. Caseload data for 1997 indicated an increase in the number of cases disposed of by Indiana courts and a significant increase in new filings of more complex case types. The largest increase in new case filings was in the area of juvenile delinquency cases. The overall number of new cases filed in Indiana decreased by 1.8 percent between 1996 and 1997. This statewide decrease was due solely to a significant drop in new infraction cases which dropped by 52,953 or 11 percent overall. In criminal, infraction, and ordinance violation cases, the most common methods of case disposition involved case dismissal (22.6 percent of cases filed) and guilty plea/admission (22.2 percent of cases filed). Fiscal data for 1997 showed corresponding increases in expenditures and revenues generated through court operations, with a total of $122,899,356 generated. Of this total, 49 percent went to State funds, 43 percent went to county funds, and 8 percent went to local funds. An organizational chart of Indiana's judicial system is included. Detailed data are tabulated on the Indiana Supreme Court, Court of Appeals, Tax Court, and trial courts. Tables and figures