NCJ Number
85093
Date Published
1981
Length
391 pages
Annotation
This report provides a single reference source for the statistical tables on the criminal workload of the U.S. district courts from July 1, 1970 - June 30, 1979.
Abstract
Two special tables specify the number of cases or defendants represented in the reporting program in the district courts. The district courts experienced two definite cycles of caseload statistics in the 10-year period. Criminal cases filed escalated to 49,154 in 1972 and then dipped slightly to 43,292 fittings in 1975; but with the 41,589 filings in 1977, there was a substantial drop in criminal case filings to 32,688 in 1979. A series of tables presents workload by district for filings, terminations, and pending caseload, and offenses for which criminal cases were commenced are presented in a series of tables for 1970-76. Another series of tables provides, by district, the number of criminal cases commenced by major offense groups for each year 1970-79. The number of criminal cases pending by major offense in each district is presented in tables for 1970-72, and another series of tables presents, by offense, the disposition of criminal defendants in U.S. district courts for 1970-73. Other tables present data on criminal defendants terminated by offense, median time for criminal defendants from filing to disposition, disposition of defendants by type of sentence, pending caseload by major offense and district, and triable and nontriable criminal cases by district. The appendix describes the criminal justice statistics information system operated by the Administrative Office, including a statement on the various methods used for handling the accounting of offenses and sentences. (Author summary modified)