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State courts

BJS FY 09 State Justice Statistics Program (SJS)

Closing Date
The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) is seeking proposals to develop, design, and field test the Survey of State Court Criminal Appeals and to prepare an implementation plan for fielding the survey in 2009. The goal of the survey is to obtain information about the types of criminal cases appealed from state trial courts to state intermediate appellate courts and/or courts of last resort, the...

Felony Sentences in State courts, 1992 

State Courts Convicted Almost 900,000 Felons During 1992

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST                            BJS
TUESDAY, JANUARY 24, 1995                           202-307-0784

STATE COURTS CONVICTED ALMOST 900,000 FELONS DURING 1992

    WASHINGTON, D.C. -- State courts throughout the U.S. convicted
almost 900,000 felons during 1992, the Department of Justice announced
today.  One-third of the convictions were for drug offenses.

    The volume of felony...

Tort Cases in Large Counties: Civil Justice Survey of State Courts, 1992 

THREE OUT OF FOUR TORT CASES SETTLED OUT OF COURT

U.S. Department of Justice

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EDT                            BJS
THURSDAY, APRIL 13, 1995                            202-307-0784

THREE OUT OF FOUR TORT CASES SETTLED OUT OF COURT

     WASHINGTON, D.C.--Three out of four tort cases filed in the
nation's 75 most populous counties never reached the courtroom because
they were settled out of court, according to...

Prosecutors in State Courts, 1992 

TYPICAL STATE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IS SMALL WITH LARGE CASELOAD
 
ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 5 P.M. EST              BJS
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 23, 1993                  202-307-0784
 
TYPICAL STATE PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE IS SMALL 
WITH LARGE CASELOAD
 
     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most state prosecutors have
relatively small staffs to handle large criminal caseloads,
the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) said today.  According
to a 1992 survey, half of the nation's state prosecutors...

Felony Sentences in State Courts, 1994 

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EST         BJS
SUNDAY, JANUARY 12, 1997            202/633-3047

ALMOST A THIRD OF ALL CONVICTED STATE FELONS
    WERE SENTENCED FOR DRUG TRAFFICKING 
               OR POSSESSION

     WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Drug offenders made up
almost a third of the 872,200 felons convicted in
state courts during 1994, the Justice Department
announced today.  Property crimes accounted for
another third and violent...

Prisoner Petitions in the Federal Courts, 1980-96 

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M., EST        BJS
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1997         202/307-0784

STATE AND FEDERAL PRISONERS FILED 68,235 PETITIONS
IN UNITED STATES COURTS DURING 1996

     WASHINGTON -- The rate at which state and
federal prisoners filed petitions in United States
district courts seeking release from prison or
alleging civil rights violations fell 17 percent
between 1980 and 1996, the Department's Bureau of
Justice Statistics...

Contract Trials and Verdicts in Large Counties, 1996 

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT                 BJS
SUNDAY, APRIL 2, 2000                       202/307-0784  
        
PLAINTIFFS WON 62 PERCENT OF THE CONTRACT TRIAL CASES IN
NATION'S 75 LARGEST COUNTIES DURING 1996               

     WASHINGTON, D.C.-- Plaintiffs won 62 percent
(3,021) of the estimated 4,850 contract cases decided by
a trial in state general jurisdiction courts in the
nation's 75 largest counties during 1996, the Justice
Department's Bureau of Justice...

Court Statistics Project (CSP)

The Court Statistics Project (CSP) provides a systematic means to develop a valid, uniform, and complete statistical database that details the operation of state court systems. It provides high-quality, baseline information on state court structure, jurisdiction, reporting practices, and caseload volume and trends. Effective management and planning at the local, state, and national levels depend on accurate, consistent, and comparable information to assess the business...

Indigent Defense Services in Large Counties, 1999 & Defense Counsel in Criminal Cases

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
WEDNESDAY, November 29, 2000 202/307-0784

TWO OF THREE FELONY DEFENDANTS REPRESENTED BY PUBLICLY-FINANCED COUNSEL

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Publicly-financed counsel represented about 66 percent of federal felony defendants in 1998 as well as 82 percent of felony defendants in the 75 most populous counties in 1996, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) announced today. Such representation is...

Federal Firearm Offenders, 1992-98: With Preliminary Data for 1999 & Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 1999

ADVANCE FOR RELEASE AT 4:30 P.M. EDT BJS
SUNDAY, June 4, 2000 202/307-0784

More Than 200,000 Firearms Applications Rejected in 1999
Defendants Charged with Federal Firearms Offenses Increased from 1998 to 1999

WASHINGTON, D.C.- Approximately 536,000 of the more than 22.2 million individual applications to purchase or pawn firearms have been rejected based on federal, state or local laws since the inception of the Brady Act...