NCJ Number
46149
Date Published
1978
Length
125 pages
Annotation
A STATISTICAL REPORT OF THE ACTIVITIES OF THE NEW JERSEY MUNICIPAL COURTS AND COUNTY DISTRICT COURTS IS PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM.
Abstract
AN OVERVIEW OF THE ORGANIZATION OF THE NEW JERSEY COURT SYSTEM IS PROVIDED, AND A TABULAR BREAKDOWN OF COURT DATA IS PRESENTED FOR THE 1976-1977 CALENDAR YEAR. A COMPARATIVE SUMMARY OF THE STATUS OF VARIOUS COURT CALENDARS IS INCLUDED, AS ARE DATA ON COURT EXPENDITURES. THE STATUS AND NUMBER OF COURTS AND JUDGES ARE RECOUNTED, AND GRAPHS ARE PRESENTED OF COURT FINES, COSTS, AND BAIL FORFEITURE INFORMATION. TABULAR DATA ON PROCEEDINGS IN THE MUNICIPAL COURTS -- TRAFFIC, PARKING, AND CRIMINAL CASES -- ARE PROVIDED. STATISTICAL INFORMATION ON THE NUMBERS OF COMPLAINTS FILED, COMPLAINTS ADJUDICATED ON WAIVER OF JURY TRIAL, AND CONVICTIONS AND PLEAS IN OPEN COURT IS PROVIDED, IN ADDITION TO OTHER RELATIVE DATA. A MUNICIPAL COURT DEFENDANTS STATUS REPORT IS PROVIDED; THE STATUS OF DEFENDANTS IS CHARACTERIZED STATISTICALLY RELATIVE TO BAIL AND RELEASE RULINGS, TRIAL DATES, AND INDICTABLE AND NONINDICTABLE OFFENSES. A TOTAL OF 3,829,715 COMPLAINTS WERE FILED DURING THE CALENDAR YEAR, AN INCREASE OF 0.7 PERCENT. THIS INCLUDED 2,483,715 PARKING COMPLAINTS, 1,013,386 NONPARKING COMPLAINTS, AND 332,976 MINOR CRIMINAL COMPLAINTS. THERE WERE 70,846 COMPLAINTS REFERRED BY THE MUNICIPAL COURTS TO THE COUNTY PROSECUTORS FOR ACTION BY THE GRAND JURY, AND 4,842 TO THE JUVENILE AND DOMESTIC RELATIONS COURTS OF OTHER MUNICIPAL COURTS, FOR A COMBINED TOTAL OF 75,689 REFERRALS, AN INCREASE OF 3,773 FROM THE PRIOR YEAR. THERE WAS A DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF DEFENDANTS SENTENCED TO JAIL AND IN THE NUMBER OF PERSONS PLACED ON PROBATION. THE MUNICIPAL COURTS AND THE COUNTY DISTRICT COURTS THAT EXERCISED CONCURRENT JURISDICTION IMPOSED FINES, COSTS, AND BAIL FORFEITURES TOTALING $44,355,980, WHILE THE TOTAL EXPENDITURES OF THE MUNICIPAL COURTS AMOUNTED TO $15,880,101 FOR THE CALENDAR YEAR. (LJM)