NCJ Number
170369
Date Published
1997
Length
239 pages
Annotation
Court structure charts and caseload statistics contained in this volume are designed to improve the quality of court statistics and to compare court statistics across States by court type.
Abstract
Court structure and jurisdiction to decide cases indicate whether all relevant cases are included for a given locality. Two or more courts in a jurisdiction may share the authority to decide a particular case. Thus, in many States, both a court of general jurisdiction and a court of limited jurisdiction may hear misdemeanor cases. Similarly, complaints in torts or contracts below a set maximum dollar amount may often be filed in either court. Information on court structure and jurisdiction is essential to the use of caseload statistics. Five types of information are required for efficient caseload statistics: (1) counts of pending, filed, and disposed cases; (2) method by which counts are taken; (3) composition of counting categories; (4) court structure and jurisdiction to decide cases; and (5) statistical adjustments to enhance comparability and usefulness of case counts. Court structure charts and caseload statistics are presented for appellate and trial courts, along with information on court jurisdiction and reporting practices. Appendixes contain additional information on data collection procedures, sources of caseload statistics, prototypes of appellate and trial court statistical spreadsheets, and State populations. Tables and figures