STATISTICS ON CRIMINAL CASELOADS AND ESTIMATED PROCESSING TIME IN GENERAL TRIAL COURTS, FISCAL YEAR 1975 - FINAL REPORT

• NCJ Number: 42953
• Author(s): ANON
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 126 pages
• Contract Number(s): J-LEAA-O35-74
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Justice
• Corporate Author: National Planning Assoc
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Statistics
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

THIS REPORT IS BASED ON A NATIONWIDE SURVEY OF STATE AND LOCAL TRIAL COURTS OF GENERAL JURISDICTION, CONDUCTED IN 1976 AS PART OF THE NATIONAL MANPOWER SURVEY OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

Abstract

DATA IS PRESENTED ON CRIMINAL CASE WORKLOADS IN A LARGE SAMPLE OF STATE AND COUNTY GENERAL JURISDICTION TRIAL COURTS, ON ESTIMATED TIME NEEDED TO PROCESS PENDING CASES, AND ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CASE PROCEEDING TIME AND SELECTED CHARACTERISTICS OF THESE COURTS. DEPENDING ON THE TOPIC, THE STATISTICAL DATA SUMMARIZED WERE PROVIDED, IN USABLE FORM, BY ABOUT 400 T0 1300 OF THE 3400 GENERAL JURISDICTION TRIAL COURTS IN THE UNITED STATES. SURVEY RESULTS REVEALED THAT THE NUMBER OF PENDING FELONY CASES IN THE REPORTING COURTS INCREASED BY 10 PERCENT BETWEEN THE BEGINNING AND THE END OF FISCAL YEAR 1975. AMONG COURTS WITH AT LEAST 100 FELONY FILINGS, 5.2 MONTHS WAS REQUIRED IN THE AVERAGE COURT TO COMPLETE THE DISPOSITION OF FELONY CASES PENDING AT THE END OF THE YEAR, BASED ON THE RATE OF DISPOSITION OF CASES. IN THE AVERAGE COURT OF THOSE WITH 100 OR MORE FELONY FILINGS, MORE THAN 400 FELONY EQUIVALENT CASES WERE DISPOSED OF PER JUDGE-YEAR ON CRIMINAL CASES, OR ALMOST THREE TIMES THE 145 DISPOSITIONS PER JUDGE-YEAR FOR THE AVERAGE SMALLER COURT. THE FACTOR WHICH WAS MOST STRONGLY RELATED TO CASE DELAY WAS THE WORKLOAD PER JUDGE-YEAR DEVOTED TO CRIMINAL CASES. AMONG THE VARIOUS COURT MANAGEMENT PRACTICES WHICH WERE EXAMINED, CONTINUANCE POLICIES WERE FOUND TO BE MOST CLOSELY ASSOCIATED WITH THE LENGTH OF CASE DELAY. AMONG THE LARGER COURTS, THOSE WHICH GAVE PRIORITY TO CRIMINAL CASES OVER CIVIL CASES IN PREPARING THE COURT CALENDAR ALSO HAD SOMEWHAT SHORTER FELONY BACKLOGS. IN ADDITION, COURTS WITH RELATIVELY STRONG SPEEDY TRIAL LAWS AND A HIGH DEGREE OF COURT UNIFICATION REQUIRED SIGNIFICANTLY LESS TO PROCESS PENDING FELONY CASES AND REPORTED SHORTER BACKLOGS. THE APPENDIX TO THIS REPORT PRESENTS SEVEN SELECTED TABLES ON CRIMINAL CASELOADS PER COURT, ON AVERAGE NUMBER OF MONTHS NEEDED TO PROCESS PENDING CASES, AND ON CRIMINAL CASELOADS PER JUDGE BASED ON RESPONSES TO THE NATIONAL MANPOWER COURTS SURVEY, BY STATE AND LEAA REGION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)...ELW