Showing 1 – 40 of 40 results.
Curated
Analyzing Trial Time in California, Colorado, and New Jersey, 1986 (ICPSR 9223)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: United States, Colorado, California, New Jersey
Time period: 1986-03-01--1987-01-01
This study of nine courts was undertaken to identify procedural factors that can be used to reduce the length of criminal and civil trials without impairing fairness. The data collection provides direct information on the actual amount of time consumed by various trial segments and the perceived length of trial segments as gauged by judges and attorneys. In addition, data are supplied on the legal community's attitudes toward existing trial length, reasons for it, and judicial control over it. The trial case file contains information on types of cases and trials, estimated trial length, type of disposition, type of defense attorney, number of claims, cross-claims, and counterclaims, number of exhibits introduced, number of expert and lay witnesses called by the defense, number of peremptory challenges, and day and time the trial ended. The questionnaire data contain information on professional experiences, number of cases tried per month, opinions about time consumed by each segment of the trial, estimated time used in each segment, and attitudes toward judicial control over the trial length.
Curated
Assessing Local Legal Culture: Practitioner Norms in Four Criminal Courts, 1979 (ICPSR 7808)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States
This study attempts to operationalize the concept of local legal culture by examining differences in the processing of twelve hypothetical criminal cases in four criminal courts. Questionnaires asking how these hypothetical cases should best be handled were administered to judges, district attorneys, and defense attorneys in four cities: Bronx County (New York City), New York, Detroit, Michigan, Miami, Florida, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In each city, the presiding judge, prosecutor, and head of the public defender's office were informed of the project. Questionnaires were distributed to prosecuting attorneys and public defenders by their supervisors. Judges were contacted in person or given questionnaires with a cover letter from the presiding judge. All questionnaires were completed anonymously and returned separately by respondents. The variables include number of years the respondent had been in the criminal justice system, preferred mode of disposition and of sentencing for each of the twelve cases, and the respondents' predictions of the probability of conviction in each case.
Curated
Availability and Use of Intermediate Sanctions by Judges and Corrections Professionals in the United States, 1994 (ICPSR 6788)
Released/updated on: 2013-05-15
Geographic coverage: United States
This survey is part of a larger project designed to explore ways to increase the availability and use of intermediate sanctions (IS) on a national level without jeopardizing public safety. A model for an Intermediate Punishment System is suggested. The survey was undertaken to ascertain attitudes and practices concerning IS for three groups: state and federal judges (Part 3), correctional system administrators responsible for community corrections in their state or jurisdiction (Part 1), and program directors who actually operated community programs (Part 2). The units of analysis were intermediate sanctions/programs operating in jurisdictions across the United States. Data were collected on the availability and frequency of use of IS, as well as costs, client/staffing ratios, use of rehabilitative programming, respondents' opinions concerning the field's needs, and program eligibility criteria. Information was also gathered on how decisions were made to place offenders into the various programs, program outcome and whether the program was viewed as being successful (and how this was measured), and types of new programs needed.
Curated
CBS News Monthly Poll, May 2005 (ICPSR 4327)
Released/updated on: 2007-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
This poll, fielded May 20-24, 2005, is part of a continuing series of monthly surveys that solicit public opinion on the current presidency and on a range of other political and social issues. Respondents were asked to give their opinions of President George W. Bush and his handling of the presidency, foreign policy, the economy, the situation with Iraq, terrorism, and Social Security. Respondents were also asked what they thought about Hilary Clinton, Tom Delay, and Gloria Steinem. Some questions dealt with the issue of how judges should be appointed. These included how long it should take Congress to review and confirm appointed judges, whether Democrats and Republicans should be in agreement to confirm someone as a federal judge, whether it should take 51 or 60 votes to confirm a federal judicial or Supreme Court nominee, and how important they thought it was who sat on the federal court. The respondents were also queried on filibusters and whether they thought they were good, or if eliminating them in the future would be better. Additionally, they were asked whether it was the government's responsibility to provide a decent standard of living for the elderly. The issue of self-investment in Social Security was also raised. Respondents were asked if they thought it was a good idea to allow individuals to invest portions of their Social Security taxes themselves. Other questions included if the respondent thought it would be okay if people only pay Social Security taxes on the first 90,000 dollars of their income, whether it would be okay to limit the rate of growth of future Social Security benefits for people who make 100,000 dollars or more, and if they agreed with the changes George W. Bush was proposing. Respondent's religious views and religiosity were also queried. They were asked if they believed in teachings or philosophies from more than one religion and if they were familiar with the teachings of any Eastern religions. They were also asked if they considered themselves feminists and whether the overall status of women in this country had gotten better over the years. Demographic variables include race, sex, age, level of education, income, voter registration status, political ideology, party affiliation, marital status, religious affiliation, employment status, and if there were a teen in the household between the ages of 12 and 17.
Curated
Charging and Sentencing Decisions Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines: A Three District Study, 1998-2000 (ICPSR 31141)
Released/updated on: 2012-09-12
Geographic coverage: Iowa, United States, Minnesota, Nebraska
Time period: 1998-01-01--2000-01-01
The Charging and Sentencing Decisions Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines: A Three District Study, 1998-2000 looks at federal sentencing practices and outcomes at the district level and uses quantitative and qualitative research techniques to describe and analyze charging, plea bargaining, and sentencing policies, practices, and outcomes. This research studies three United States District Courts: the District of Nebraska, the District of Minnesota, and the Southern District of Iowa. The primary objectives of this study are: (1) to test for inter-district disparity in sentencing; (2) to describe charging and plea bargaining practices and to identify the predictors of charging and plea bargaining decisions; and (3) to examine the effect of offender and case characteristics on sentence outcomes at the district level. Detailed data on the offender, the case, and the sentence was obtained from the USSC's Offender Datafile for each district for each year. Data was supplemented with information contained in the Presentence Investigation Report, the Sentencing Recommendation, the Order of Judgment, and other documents provided by each United States District Court. Judges, attorneys, and probation officers in each district were interviewed. This dataset includes basic demographic variables such as race, age, sex, marital status, and education level. Other data obtained includes substance use, offense type, criminal charges, physical and mental health treatment, and court and trial proceeding information.
Curated
Comparative Judicial Study: Switzerland and South Africa, 1970-1971 (ICPSR 7365)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: South Africa, Switzerland, Global
Time period: 1970-01-01--1971-01-01
This study contains eight files of data on the effects of background training and socialization, and attitudes on court decisions of judges in the highest courts in Switzerland and the Republic of South Africa in the period 1970-1971. The study is a collection of several different integrated datasets, designed to facilitate crosscultural and subcultural anthropological, sociological, psychological, and legal analyses of the political behavior and performances of judges in these two nations. The two nations were selected because of the direct representation of subcultures in their court systems, and because of the putative vast differences in their ecological settings. The datasets were collected by the use of several different methods. The primary method was field survey research, with one- to two-hour interviews. The interview consisted of three major parts: background characteristics, open-ended questions dealing with the decision-making process of the courts, and a 72-item attitudinal inventory. The second method used was direct observation of social interaction during the decision-making process, which was only possible in Switzerland. A total of almost two hundred decisions were observed over a period of several months. The third method was not invoked until substantially later. This consisted of analysis and coding of the reported decisions of the Swiss and South African courts, in each instance for a three-year period: the year before and the year after, as well as the year during which the six months of field survey was undertaken (July-December, 1970, for Switzerland, and January-June, 1971, for South Africa). Swiss and South African respondents were asked questions about the decision-making process of the Tribunal in Switzerland, and the putative effects of cultural differences on judicial performance in South Africa. Open-ended questions probed the effects of different background legal training, cultural upbringing, and religious orientation on the judges' court decisions and on public policy issues that were presented to the courts. Also examined were respondents' political, social, economic, and psychological attitudes. Demographic items provide background characteristics of respondents, such as age, date and place of birth, religion, education, job status, political experience and party affiliation, and native tongue.
Curated
Dynamics of Change in the Criminal Case Plea Bargaining System: New York City, 1800-1890 (ICPSR 6501)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-12
Geographic coverage: New York City, United States, New York (state)
Time period: 1800-01-01--1890-01-01
This study analyzes the ascendancy of a single form of dispute processing--the guilty plea--in New York City's principal indictment court, and its connection to law enforcement, judges, and lawyers. A major component of the study is a statistical analysis of data presented in the Minute Book of Court of General Sessions and maintained at the New York City Archives. A second data source is the New York City district attorney's case files, also maintained at the New York City Archives. Part 1, District Attorney Case File Data, contains a sample of cases throughout the century taken from the district attorney's files. Variables cover charge filed, method of arrest, nature of testimony, presence of the lawyers, role of police, private prosecutor, and magistrate, and demographic information about the defendant and victim. Part 2, Lawyer Data, records the frequency of the appearance of individual lawyers, the charges in the cases in which they appeared, the lawyering activities they undertook, and the method of case disposition. Part 3, Minute Book Data, reflects the workday of the Court of General Sessions, including the number of cases processed in court on any given day, the number of defendants tried, the details of charges, joinder, witness examinations, outcome and sentence, and the number pleading guilty. Part 4, Cases Tried Data, not only records cases tried but also includes the top count, legal representation, result, and sentence, and for cases pleading guilty contains the top count charged, top count accepted, and sentence imposed. District Attorney Reference Data, Part 5, contains cases in which copies of the district attorney's papers were not found. These cases occurred on the same day as cases for which copies of the district attorney's papers were recorded. This data served as a control group for the District Attorney Case File Data.
Curated
Effectiveness of Client Specific Planning as an Alternative Sentence, 1981-1982: Washington, DC, and Fairfax, Montgomery, and Prince George Counties (ICPSR 8943)
Released/updated on: 1992-02-16
Geographic coverage: District of Columbia, United States
Time period: 1981-10-01--1982-09-30
This data collection was designed to evaluate the Client Specific Planning (CSP) program of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA). The CSP program offers non-incarcerative sentencing options and alternatives prepared for judges and presented by an NCIA caseworker. The study measures the impact of the program on sentence length, sentence severity, the effectiveness of the program at diverting serious felony offenders from incarceration, and the rate, type, seriousness, and timing of recidivism in a 24-month post-sentence risk period. Variables are provided for each defendant on demographic characteristics, criminal history, prior counseling experiences, prior incarceration, charges and dispositions of the recidivist arrests, and types of sentencing alternatives recommended in CSP.
Curated
Effects of Prior Record in Sentencing Research in a Large Northeastern City, 1968-1979: [United States] (ICPSR 8929)
Released/updated on: 1992-02-16
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1968-01-01--1979-01-01
This data collection examines the impact of defendants' prior criminal records on the sentencing of male and female defendants committing violent and non-violent crimes. The collection also provides data on which types of prior records most influenced the sentencing judges. Variables deal specifically with the defendant, the judge and the characteristics of the current case. Only cases that fell into one of 14 categories of common offenses were included. These offenses were murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, assault, minor assault, burglary, auto theft, embezzlement, receiving stolen property, forgery, sex offenses other than rape, drug possession, and driving while intoxicated.
Curated
Partially restricted
Evaluation of the Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) Community Supervision Strategy, 2007-2009 (ICPSR 27921)
Released/updated on: 2011-07-06
Geographic coverage: United States, Honolulu, Hawaii
Time period: 2007-01-01--2009-01-01
The purpose of the study was to evaluate the Hawaii Opportunity Probation with Enforcement (HOPE) community supervision strategy for substance-abusing probationers. The study involved the administration of key stakeholder surveys as part of a process evaluation of the HOPE program and the comparison of HOPE probationers with control-group probationers on two primary outcome measures: no-shows for probation appointments and positive urine tests for illicit-substance use. For Part 1 and Part 2, data were collected from administrative data sources. Missed Appointments Data (Part 1) were collected from 2007 to 2009 on a total of 1,174 probationers including 1,078 HOPE probationers, 78 comparison probationers, and 18 probationers for which study group information was not available. Specifically, for Part 1, the research team compiled data on the proportion of missed appointments in the three-month period before the study start date (baseline), in the three-month period following baseline, and in the six-month period following baseline. Drug Test Results Data (Part 2) were collected from 2007 to 2009 on the same 1,174 probationers. Specifically, for Part 2, the research team compiled data on the proportion of positive urine tests in the three-month period before the study start date (baseline), in the three-month period following baseline, and in the six-month period following baseline. Stakeholder survey data were collected from September 2008 through March 2009 on 50 Integrated Community Sanctions or "Specialized Unit" probationers (Part 3), 28 probationers in treatment (Part 4), 16 probationers in jail (Part 5), 20 probation officers in the Integrated Community Sanctions Unit (Part 6), 11 public defenders (Part 7), 12 prosecutors (Part 8), 7 judges (Part 9), and 11 court staff (Part 10). Part 1 contains a total of eight variables including group (high intensity or control), demographics, and mean missed appointments scores for three periods. Part 2 contains a total of eight variables including group (high intensity or control), demographics, and mean positive urine tests for illicit-substance use scores for three periods. The Integrated Community Sanctions Probationers Survey Data (Part 3), the Probationers in Treatment Survey Data (Part 4), and the Probationers in Jail Survey Data (Part 5) each include variables about the respondent's general perceptions and opinions of the HOPE program. Part 3 contains 24 variables, Part 4 contains 30 variables, and Part 5 contains 30 variables. The Probation Officers Survey Data (Part 6), Public Defenders Survey Data (Part 7), Prosecutors Survey Data (Part 8), Judges Survey Data (Part 9), and Court Staff Survey Data (Part 10) include variables about workload issues and the respondent's general perceptions and opinions of the HOPE program. Part 6 contains 65 variables, Part 7 contains 45 variables, Part 8 contains 55 variables, Part 9 contains 36 variables, and Part 10 contains 36 variables.
Curated
Restricted
Exploring the Reach of Evidence Outside the Jury Box [United States], 2005-2011 (ICPSR 34679)
Released/updated on: 2016-05-20
Geographic coverage: United States, New York (state)
Time period: 2010-01-01--2011-01-01, 2005-01-01--2006-01-01
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
The purpose of the study was to compare how the quantity versus the quality of evidence influences the likelihood of trial convictions and plea decisions and examine whether evidence has differential impacts on the perceived likelihood of trial convictions and plea values. In Phase I (Phase I Data, n=2,593) defense attorneys, prosecutors, and judges, representing all 50 states and the District of Columbia, completed an online survey of a hypothetical legal case in which the presence of three types of evidence (confession, eyewitness, and DNA) and length of defendant criminal history were manipulated. In Phase II (Phase II Data, n=502), researchers worked with two District Attorneys' offices in New York state to code the contents of case files. Researchers coded 502 closed cases from 2005 and 2006, all of which originated as felony arrests. Researchers also obtained criminal history record information on the defendants involved in the cases.
Curated
Fines as a Criminal Sanction: Practices and Attitudes of Trial Court Judges in the United States, 1985 (ICPSR 8945)
Released/updated on: 2002-06-27
These data were collected to examine the practices and views of state trial court judges with respect to their use of fines as a criminal sanction. Respondents were asked about the composition of their caseloads, sentencing practices (including fines imposed for various circumstances), available information about the offender at time of sentencing, enforcement and collection procedures in their courts, and their attitudes toward the use of fines. In addition to questions concerning the judges' use of fines and other sanctions, the questionnaire presented the judges with hypothetical cases.
Curated
Homicide, Bereavement, and the Criminal Justice System in Texas, 2000 (ICPSR 3263)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Texas
This study assessed the influence of the criminal justice system on the bereavement process of individuals who have lost loved ones to homicide. The primary question motivating this research was: Can the criminal justice system help to heal the harm of the bereaved's loss? The three main goals of this study were to examine: (1) bereaveds' perceptions of and experiences with the criminal justice system and its professionals, (2) the ways criminal justice professionals perceive and manage the bereaved, and (3) the nature of the association between the criminal justice system and bereaveds' psychological well-being. Data were obtained from in-depth interviews conducted in June through December 2000 with two different groups of people. The first group represented individuals who had lost loved ones to murder between 1994 and 1998 in one county in Texas (Parts 1-33). The second group (Parts 34-55) was comprised county criminal justice professionals (murder detectives, prosecutors, criminal court judges, victim's service counselors, and victim's rights advocates). For Parts 1-33, interviewees were asked a series of open-ended questions about the criminal justice system, including how they learned about the death and the current disposition of the murder case. They also were asked what they would change about the criminal justice system's treatment of them. The bereaved were further asked about their sex, age, race, education, marital status, employment status, income, and number of children. Additional questions were asked regarding the deceased's age at the time of the murder, race, relationship to interviewee, and the deceased's relationship to the murderer, if known. For Parts 34-55, respondents were asked about their job titles, years in those positions, number of murder cases handled in the past year, number of murder cases handled over the course of their career, and whether they thought the criminal justice system could help to heal the harm of people who had lost loved ones to murder. All interviews (Parts 1-55) were tape-recorded and later transcribed by the interviewer, who replaced actual names of individuals, neighborhoods, cities, counties, or any other identifiable names with pseudonyms.
Curated
Restricted
How Justice Systems Realign in California: The Policies and Systemic Effects of Prison Downsizing, 1978-2013 (ICPSR 34939)
Released/updated on: 2017-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, California
Time period: 1978-01-01--2012-01-01, 2013-03-01--2013-07-01, 2012-01-01--2013-01-01
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they there received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except of the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompany readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collections and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
The California correctional system underwent a dramatic transformation under California's Public Safety Realignment Act (AB 109) in 2011, a law that shifted from the state to the counties the responsibility for monitoring, tracking, and incarcerating lower level offenders previously bound for state prison. Realignment, therefore, presents the opportunity to witness 58 natural experiments in the downsizing of prisons. Counties faced different types of offenders, implemented different programs in different community and jail environments, and adopted differing sanctioning policies. This study examines the California's Public Safety Realignment Act's effect on counties' criminal justice institutions, including the disparities that result in charging, sentencing, and resource decisions.
Curated
Judicial Decision Guidelines for Bail: The Philadelphia Experiment, 1981-1982 (ICPSR 8358)
Released/updated on: 1993-03-04
Geographic coverage: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Time period: 1981-01-01--1982-01-01
The purpose of this study was to test the utility of draft guidelines in informing judicial decisions about bail. A sample of judges, based upon a stratified quota sampling design, was selected from the Philadephia Municipal Court to rule on sample cases. Eight judges were randomly selected to use guidelines and be "experimental judges," and eight others were randomly selected to be nonguideline or "control judges." Data for the sample cases were taken from defendants' files. Variables provided in this collection include number of suspects involved, number of different offenses charged, most serious injury experienced by the victim(s), preliminary arraignment disposition, amount of bail, socioeconomic status and demographics of the defendant, prior criminal history of the defendant, and reason for granting or denying bail.
Curated
Judicial Mind, 1946-1969 (ICPSR 7289)
Released/updated on: 1992-02-16
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1946-01-01--1969-01-01
This study employed a social-psychological approach to study how and why judicial decisions were made and to present a substantive interpretation of major post-World War II trends in the Supreme Court's policy-making on the basis of aggregate data measuring both manifest voting behavior and inferred political attitudes of the justices. Besides recording the position taken by each justice on the cases considered, several scales were constructed reflecting the ideological implications of judicial decisions. About a third of the decisions included in this study dealt with questions of political rights and civil liberties, and were used to create a political liberalism scale, with the following subcomponents: fair procedure, voting equality, political freedom, religious freedom, racial equality, and civic equality. Another third of the cases, concerned with questions of economic policy, were classified as a scale of economic liberalism, with two major components -- governmental regulation of economic activities and support for labor unions. The remaining third of the sampled decisions were used to construct minor scales: judicial activism and judicial centralization, focusing on the Supreme Court's own political role, a fiscal claims scale dealing with the financial interests of the federal government, and a nationalization scale concerned with the extent to which a justice tended to uphold the claims and interests of the national government.
Curated
Juror Discussions About Evidence, 1997-1998: [Arizona] (ICPSR 2687)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Arizona
Time period: 1997-06-15--1998-01-31
These data were collected in conjunction with an evaluation of the Arizona court reform effective December 1, 1995, to permit jurors in civil cases to discuss the evidence prior to deliberations. The datasets consist of survey responses by judges, jurors, attorneys, and litigants in all civil cases conducted in Maricopa, Pima, Mohave, and Yavapai counties in Arizona between June 15, 1997, and January 31, 1998. Civil cases in the participating courts were randomly assigned to one of two experimental conditions: (1) jurors were told they could discuss the evidence prior to deliberation according to Rule 39(f) of the Arizona Rules of Civil Procedure, or (2) jurors were told they could not discuss the evidence per the previous admonition. The datasets contain survey responses under both conditions. Part 1, Case Characteristics Data, contains information from two questionnaires completed by judges about the lawsuit, the parties, the trial procedures, and the case outcome. The data in Part 2, Juror Questionnaire Data, cover jurors' views regarding the complexity of the case, the importance of witnesses and testimonies, and attorneys' performances. The variables in Part 3, Attorney Questionnaire Data, offer information on attorneys' opinions of the jurors, the opposing counsel, and the verdict. Part 4, Litigant Questionniare Data, consists of litigants' views regarding the jurors and the verdict. Demographic data include respondents' gender, age, race, income, and job status.
Curated
Jury and Democracy Project (ICPSR 32801)
Released/updated on: 2016-05-11
Geographic coverage: North Carolina, Seattle, United States, Texas, Colorado, Louisiana, Ohio, Washington, Nebraska
Time period: 1994-01-01--2004-01-01, 2004-01-01--2005-01-01
The Jury and Democracy Project aims to understand the impact that jury service has on citizens. Until recently, no direct empirical evidence regarding the link between jury service and public engagement existed. The Jury and Democracy Project has produced such data. This study consists of two datasets. Part 1, the National Jury Archival Data, consists of a merger of jury and voting records from 1994-2004 in Boulder County (Colorado), Cumberland and Swain Counties (North Carolina), Douglas County (Nebraska), El Paso County (Texas), Orleans Parish (Louisiana), Summit County (Ohio), and Thurston County (Washington). Part 1 includes information regarding seriousness and type of charges, duration of trial and trial information, county and juror information, juror role and voter information, and basic demographic information such as sex, age, political affiliation, and race. Part 2, the King County Survey Data, includes three waves of panel survey data collected from Washington state's King County Court and the Seattle Municipal Courthouse during 2004-2005. In Wave 1 all jurors in King County Court and Seattle Municipal Courthouse received the same survey which collected data on pre-service attitudes, demographics, and past jury duty service and behavior characteristics. Wave 2 consisted of two surveys: (1) King County Court jurors were surveyed on jury duty service experience and treatment, as well as jury selection, court and government efficacy, and citizen responsibility; (2) Seattle Municipal Courthouse jurors were surveyed on the same variables as the King County juror survey, as well as jury deliberation issues. Wave 3 also consisted of two surveys: (1) King County and Seattle Municipal Court jurors were surveyed on their involvement in politics and public affairs, participation in the local community, reflections on jury service, and political views; (2) an additional Wave 3 survey was given to a control replacement sample, which collected data on politics and public life, as well as involvement in politics and public affairs, participation in the local community, the political process, jury service, and demographic characteristics such as sex, race, age, and education level.
Curated
Long-Range Planning Survey of Federal Judges, 1992: [United States] (ICPSR 6544)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States
In October 1992, the Federal Judicial Center surveyed nearly all federal judges on a wide range of issues of concern to the federal courts. The survey was conducted for two purposes: to inform the deliberations of the Judicial Conference Committee on Long-Range Planning and to provide information for the Center's congressionally-mandated study of structural alternatives for the federal courts of appeals. Although the purposes were distinct, the areas of interest overlapped, resulting in a survey instrument that addressed many issues at differing levels of detail. The survey questions dealt with the nature and severity of problems in the federal courts, structure and relationships, jurisdiction size and resources, administration and governance, discovery, juries, criminal sanctions, deciding appeals in the current system, availability and compensation of counsel, and methods of civil dispute resolution.
Curated
Multi-User Database on the Attributes of United States Appeals Court Judges, 1801-2000 (ICPSR 6796)
Released/updated on: 2009-02-03
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1801-01-01--2000-01-01
This project orignally was undertaken to compile a definitive
database on the personal, social, economic, career, and political
attributes of judges who served on the United States Courts of Appeals from
1801 to 1994 - it has now been updated to include information through the year 2000. The database includes conventional social background
variables such as appointing president, religion, political party
affiliation, education, and prior experience. In addition, unique items are
provided: the temporal sequence of prior career experiences, the
timing of and reason for leaving the bench, gender, race and ethnicity,
position numbering analogous to the scheme used for the Supreme Court,
American Bar Association rating, and net worth (for judges who began
service on the bench after 1978). The second objective of this project
was to merge
these data with a multi-user database on United States Courts of Appeals decisions
that is headed by Donald Songer and funded by the National Science
Foundation. That database includes a unique identification number
for each judge participating in a particular decision. The combined
databases
should enable scholars to explore: (1) intra- and inter-circuit fluctuation
in the distribution of social background characteristics, (2) generational
and presidential cohort variation in these attributes, and (3) state
and partisan control of seats. The collection also facilitates the
construction of models that examine the effects of personal attributes on
decision-making, while controlling for the conditions above.
Curated
Multi-User Database on the Attributes of United States District Court Judges, 1801-2000 (ICPSR 4553)
Released/updated on: 2009-02-03
Time period: 1801-01-01--2000-01-01
This project was undertaken to compile a definitive database on the personal, social, economic, career, and political attributes of judges who served on the United States District Courts from 1801 to 2000. The database includes conventional social background variables such as the name of the appointing president, the judge's religion, political party affiliation, education, and prior experience. In addition, unique items are provided: the temporal sequence of prior career experiences, the timing of and reason for leaving the bench, gender, race and ethnicity, position numbering analogous to the scheme used for the Supreme Court, American Bar Association rating, and net worth (for judges who began service on the bench after 1978). The second objective of this project was to merge these data with a multi-user database on United States District Court decisions. The database is headed by Donald Songer and funded by the National Science Foundation. It includes a unique identification number for each judge participating in a particular decision. The combined databases should enable scholars to explore: (1) intra- and inter-circuit fluctuation in the distribution of social background characteristics, (2) generational and presidential cohort variation in these attributes, and (3) state and partisan control of seats. The collection also facilitates the construction of models that examine the effects of personal attributes on decision making, while controlling for the conditions above. See also MULTI-USER DATABASE ON THE ATTRIBUTES OF UNITED STATES APPEALS COURT JUDGES, 1801-1994 (ICPSR 6796).
Self-published
National Neighborhood Data Archive (NaNDA): Law Enforcement by Census Tract and ZCTA, United States, 1990-2022 (ICPSR 208684)
Released/updated on: 2026-04-07
Time period: 1990-01-01--2022-01-01
This dataset measures the number and density of law enforcement organizations—including police departments, fire departments, courts, correctional facilities, and legal counsel and prosecution offices—across United States census tracts and ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs) from 1990 through 2022. Data are derived from the National Establishment Time Series (NETS) database and geocoded to 2010 and 2020 TIGER/Line shapefiles from the US Census Bureau.
Curated
National Survey of Judges and Court Practitioners, 1991 (ICPSR 9837)
Released/updated on: 2000-10-27
Geographic coverage: United States
The United States Sentencing Commission, established by the 98th Congress, is an independent agency in the judicial branch of government. The Commission's primary function is to institute guidelines that prescribe the appropriate form and severity of punishment for offenders convicted of federal crimes. This survey was developed in response to issues that arose during site visits conducted in conjunction with an implementation study of sentencing guidelines and was intended to supplement the information obtained in the more extensive site visit interviews. Topics include the impact of the plea agreement, departures by the court, mandatory minimum sentences, the general issue of unwarranted sentencing disparity, and whether this disparity had increased, decreased, or stayed about the same since the sentencing guidelines were imposed in 1987.
Curated
Partially restricted
Pennsylvania Sentencing Data, 1996 (ICPSR 3062)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States, Pennsylvania
The Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing is a legislative agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. The Commission develops sentencing guidelines for judges to use when sentencing felony and misdemeanor offenses. The judges report sentences to the Commission on a Guideline Sentence Form. This data collection reflects all felonies and misdemeanors reported to the Commission that were sentenced during calendar year 1996. The data are contained in two files. Part 1, Records Data, provides information on each offender, including rudimentary demographic characteristics and prior offense history. Part 2, Offense Data, contains information on each offense, including the statutory citation for the offense, the Offense Gravity Score assigned by the Commission, the offender's Prior Record Score, and the sentence given the offender.
Curated
The Politicization of State Judicial Elections: The Effects of New-Style Campaigns on State Court Legitimacy in Kentucky, 2006 (ICPSR 31041)
Released/updated on: 2011-08-17
Geographic coverage: United States, Kentucky
This study had three major subject areas covered by the data collection. These subjects included general political questions about the respondent's views on issues such as freedom, the respondent's personal voting habits, and political campaign advertisements respectively. Respondents were asked about the frequency of their political discussions with friends, dealing with opinions that are extremely different from their own, the value of freedom including free speech, the government's role in creating and implementing laws, and majority wants vs. minority rights. The respondent's personal voting habits section included questions pertaining to feelings asked Kentucky residents how they felt about the Kentucky legislature, Supreme Court, Christian fundamentalists, anti-abortion activists, and pro-abortion activists. These questions also asked about the Kentucky court system in general, the press in Kentucky, insurance companies and other large businesses. Additional questions asked about the three branches of government, specifically, if respondents knew how each branch worked and its role in checks and balances on the American government. Kentucky citizens were asked about lifetime appointment for judges, serving a specific number of years dictated by terms, and whether Kentucky judges had a lifetime appointment or were subject to terms. Citizens were further queried about their elected judges in terms of how they vote for their judges, and whether or not controversial issues and left-right self-placement plays a role in their decisions. Another topic was the importance and relevance of the Constitution and whose interpretation should matter (the people vs. judges). Political campaign advertisement questions asked about advertisements in terms of their fairness. Specifically, questions asked about advertisement effectiveness in terms of whether the advertisement made the respondent more or less likely to vote for a certain candidate. Demographic and other background information includes age, gender, ethnicity, highest grade or year of school completed, political affiliation, religious affiliation and participation, and television viewership.
Curated
Public Image of Courts, 1977: General Public Data (ICPSR 7703)
Released/updated on: 1997-02-25
Geographic coverage: United States
This data collection and its companion study, PUBLIC IMAGE OF COURTS, 1977: SPECIAL PUBLICS DATA (ICPSR 7704), were undertaken to explore attitudes toward courts and justice. These surveys sought to measure perceptions of and experiences with local, state, and federal courts as well as general attitudes toward the administration of justice and legal actors. The general objectives of the studies were to (1) determine levels of public knowledge of courts, (2) test reactions to situations that might, or might not, prompt recourse to courts, (3) determine the incidence, nature, and evaluations of court experience, (4) describe and account for evaluations of court performance, (5) indicate attitudes toward legal actors, and (6) indicate reactions to alternative means of dispute resolution. Two samples were drawn: a national sample of the general public and a "special publics" sample of judges, lawyers, and community leaders (ICPSR 7704). The 1,931 respondents in the general public sample were interviewed in person by the National Consumer Field Staff of Yankelovich, Skelly, and White, Inc.
Curated
Public Image of Courts, 1977: Special Publics Data (ICPSR 7704)
Released/updated on: 2005-11-04
Geographic coverage: United States
This data collection and its companion study, PUBLIC IMAGE OF COURTS, 1977: GENERAL PUBLIC DATA (ICPSR 7703), were undertaken to explore attitudes toward courts and justice. These surveys sought to measure perceptions of and experiences with local, state, and federal courts as well as general attitudes toward the administration of justice and legal actors. The general objectives of the studies were to (1) determine levels of public knowledge of courts, (2) test reactions to situations that might, or might not, prompt recourse to courts, (3) determine the incidence, nature, and evaluations of court experience, (4) describe and account for evaluations of court performance, (5) indicate attitudes toward legal actors, and (6) indicate reactions to alternative means of dispute resolution. Two samples were drawn: a national sample of the general public (ICPSR 7703) and a "special publics" sample of judges, lawyers, and community leaders. The 1,112 respondents in the special publics sample were interviewed by a group of interviewers described as "retired business executives specially trained to interview leadership groups."
Curated
Simple Crosstabs
Reforming Public Child Welfare in Indiana, 2007-2009 (ICPSR 26343)
Released/updated on: 2018-11-20
Geographic coverage: Indiana, United States
Time period: 2007-01-01--2009-01-01
The study of Indiana's Child Welfare reform was designed to identify community professionals' perceptions of the Department of Child Services (DCS) following the release of a pilot program to reform child welfare in the state of Indiana. In December, 2005, the pilot project was officially rolled out in three regions of the state. The three chosen regions of the state included 11 county agencies with both urban and rural population centers. Together these regions represented 28% of the state's CHINS (Child In Need of Service) population and 20% of the child fatalities for 2004. This study represents data collected to identify perceptions of the DCS by sending a survey to professionals in the 11 pilot and 12 comparison counties. The survey questions were arranged by categories of safety, permanency, well-being, DCS goals, the reform, team meetings, and demographics. Nine separate instruments were developed and disseminated for each community group.
The community professionals surveyed included: Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASAs), foster parents, judges, Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs), medical and public health professionals, schools, social service professionals, and mental health professionals. Survey instruments were tailored to each audience, with questions that were derived from the DCS "Framework for Individualized Needs-Based Child Welfare Service Provisions," which outlined the agency's core practice values and principles.
Curated
Repeat Offender Laws in the United States: Forms, Uses, and Perceived Value, 1983 (ICPSR 9328)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: United States
This survey of prosecutors, defense attorneys, and judges in jurisdictions with sentence enhancement statutes for repeat offenders collected information about the characteristics of the laws and criminal justice professionals regarding the fairness, effectiveness, and practice of the laws. The jurisdiction file includes variables such as jurisdiction size, number of provisions in the law, number of felony cases handled under the law per year, number of defendants sentenced as repeat offenders, frequency of charging and sentencing under the law, and minimum and maximum sentences specified in the statutes. The variables in the three surveys of practitioners contain data related to their familiarity with the laws, descriptions of recent cases, and satisfaction with the new statutes.
Curated
Restricted
Sex Trafficking of Minors: The Impact of Legislative Reform and Judicial Decision Making in Metropolitan and Non-Metropolitan Communities, Kentucky, 2007-2018 (ICPSR 37168)
Released/updated on: 2019-07-25
Geographic coverage: United States, Kentucky
Time period: 2013-01-01--2017-01-01, 2016-01-01--2018-01-01, 2016-01-01--2017-01-01, 2015-01-01--2018-01-01, 2016-01-01--2017-01-01, 2012-01-01--2015-01-01, 2007-01-01--2017-01-01
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This study includes data that was used to investigate the effect of legislative and judicial factors on system responses to sex trafficking of minors (STM) in metropolitan and non-metropolitan communities. To accomplish this, researchers evaluated the effectiveness of the immunity, protection, and rehabilitative elements of a state safe harbor law. This project was undertaken as a response to a growing push to pass state safe harbor laws to align governmental and community responses to the reframing of the issue of sex trafficking of minors that was ushered in with the passage of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA).
This collection includes 4 SPSS files, 3 Excel data files, and 2 SPSS Syntax files:
- Child-Welfare-Human-Trafficking-Reports-2013-2017-data.xlsx
- Judicial-Interview-De-identified-Quantitative-Data-for-NACJD_REV_Oct2018.sav (n=82; 36 variables)
- Judicial-online-survey-data-for-NACJD_REV_Dec2018.sav (n=55; 77 variables)
- Juvenile-Justice-Screening-for-HT-2015-MU-MU-0009.xlsx
- Post-implementation-survey-data-for-NACJD_REV_Dec2018.sav (n=365; 1029 variables)
- Pre-implementation-survey-data-for-NACJD_REV_Dec2018.sav (n=323; 159 variables)
- Recode-syntax-for-pre-implementation-survey-for-NACJD.sps
- Statewide-juvenile-court-charges-2015-MU-MU-0009-to-NACJD.xlsx
- Syntax-for-post-implementation-survey-data-to-NACJD.sps
Qualitative data from judicial interviews and agency open-ended responses to Post-Implementation of the Safe Harbor Law Survey are not available as part of this collection.
Curated
State Court Organization, 1998: [United States] (ICPSR 2854)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
This data collection provides detailed comparative information about the structure, policies, and procedures of statewide trial and appellate court systems for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico as of July 1, 1998. Information gathered includes the number of courts and judges, judicial selection, governance of court systems, including judicial funding, administration, staffing, and procedures, jury qualifications and verdict rules, and processing and sentencing procedures of criminal cases.
Curated
State Court Organizations, 2004 [United States] (ICPSR 4575)
Released/updated on: 2006-10-30
Geographic coverage: District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, United States
This data collection provides detailed comparative information about the structure, policies, and procedures of state-wide trial and appellate court systems for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in the United States as of June 31, 2004. Information gathered includes: the number of courts and judges, judicial selection, governance of court systems (including judicial funding, administration, staffing, and procedures), jury qualifications and verdict rules, and processing and sentencing procedures of criminal cases. Data collection was carried out by the National Center for State Courts.
Curated
Simple Crosstabs
State Court Organization Trends, United States, 1980-2011 (ICPSR 37196)
Released/updated on: 2019-04-22
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1980-01-01--2011-01-01
This data collection provides detailed comparative information about the structure, policies, and procedures of state-wide trial and appellate court systems for the 50 states and the District of Columbia within the United States for the years 1980, 1987, 1993, 1998, 2004, and 2011. Information gathered includes: the number of courts and judges, judicial selection, governance of court systems (including judicial funding, administration, staffing, and procedures), jury qualifications and verdict rules, and processing and sentencing procedures of criminal cases. Data collection was carried out by the National Center for State Courts.
Curated
Simple Crosstabs
State Court Organization, United States, 2011 (ICPSR 37195)
Released/updated on: 2019-04-22
Geographic coverage: United States
This data collection provides detailed comparative information about the structure, policies, and procedures of state-wide trial and appellate court systems for the 50 states and the District of Columbia in the United States for 2011. Information gathered includes: the number of courts and judges, judicial selection, governance of court systems (including judicial funding, administration, staffing, and procedures), jury qualifications and verdict rules, and processing and sentencing procedures of criminal cases. Data collection was carried out by the National Center for State Courts. These data are part of a related collection from the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, Northern Mariana Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands in the United States for the years 1980, 1987, 1993, 1998, and 2004.
In 2011, State Court Organization added new variables to the data collection process. The State Court Organization 2011 file contains the historical variables for 2011, as well as the new variables that were introduced in the 2004 collection. The new variables included data about the courts' information technology systems, including the functions of the court's IT staff, e-filing procedures, accessibility of court information through online systems, and the implementation of case management systems as a means of organizing and managing a court's caseload. The data are reported for trial and appellate courts.
The SCO Trial Court Level Data 2011 file includes a subset of the State Court Organization 2011 file, but only for trial level courts. Some variables in the State Court Organization 2011 file were recoded in the Trial Court Level Data 2011 file.
Curated
Survey of Judges on the Role of Courts in American Society, 1979 (ICPSR 7824)
Released/updated on: 1992-02-16
Geographic coverage: United States
Time period: 1978-01-01--1979-01-01
This survey was conducted in order to obtain from judges their views and experiences regarding the role of courts in American society, specifically on issues of caseload management. From a sample representing five regions of the country, 104 federal and state judges were interviewed about their general work practices and performance in court over the year previous to August 1979. Variables describe the amount of time judges spent on routine judicial activities, characteristics of cases requiring excessive time, the mechanisms employed in the resolution of civil disputes, techniques for reducing or more expeditiously handling heavy caseloads, and suggestions for extra-judicial dispute settlement processes that could serve as alternatives to courts. Data are also available on each judge's legal education, legal experience, and personal background.
Curated
Survey Study of 43 Supreme Court Common Law Judges on the Use of Foreign Law in Constitutional Rights Cases (ICPSR 29121)
Released/updated on: 2010-08-31
Geographic coverage: New Zealand, Canada, United States, Ireland, United Kingdom, South Africa, Israel, Australia, Global, India
Time period: 2005-12-01--2006-04-01
This is a survey study of 43 judges from the British House of Lords, the Caribbean Court of Justice, the High Court of Australia, and the Supreme Courts of Ireland, India, Israel, South Africa, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States on the use of foreign law in constitutional rights cases. As the focus of attempts to both explain and justify the use of foreign law in constitutional discourse, the attitudes of apex judges are clearly at issue. The study aims to shed light on how common law judges view foreign law as a source of argument in constitutional rights matters, and how they "see" transnational sources. The data provide the basis for preliminary testing of globalist theory (associated with Anne-Marie Slaughter, Vicki Jackson and Chris McCrudden). More generally, they lend a practical insight to jurisprudential debates invoking the nature of judicial reasoning in appellate courts. We find that the conception of judges citing foreign law as a source of persuasive authority is of limited application. Citational opportunism and the aspiration to membership of an emerging international "guild" appear to be equally important strands in judicial attitudes towards foreign law. We argue that their presence is at odds with Ronald Dworkin's theory of legal objectivity, and revealed in a manner meeting his own methodological standard for attitudinal research.
Curated
Systems and Training Requirements for Criminal Justice Participants (PROJECT STAR), 1971-1974: California, Michigan, New Jersey, Texas (ICPSR 8392)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-18
Geographic coverage: United States, Texas, California, New Jersey, Michigan
Time period: 1971-01-01--1974-01-01
Project STAR was designed to collect information about the various roles of operational criminal justice personnel in order to assist in the design of educational and training programs for these personnel. Data were collected from a two-part questionnaire administered to criminal justice personnel in four states: California, Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas. The first part of the questionnaire contained personal, attitudinal, and opinion items as well as questions concerning the goals of the criminal justice system. The second part presented 97 situations that the respondent was asked to rank using a five-part scale. The situations dealt with the roles of police officers, prosecuting attorneys, defense attorneys, judges, probation officers, correctional officers, and parole officers. Demographic information about the respondents includes age, sex, race, educational attainment, occupation and employing agency, and income.
Curated
Partially restricted
Understanding Court Culture and Improving Court Performance in 12 Courts in California, Florida, and Minnesota, 2002 (ICPSR 20366)
Released/updated on: 2008-08-25
Geographic coverage: United States, Minnesota, California, Florida
Time period: 2002-04-01--2002-08-01
The purpose of this study was to examine the organizational culture in 12 felony criminal trial courts selected in 3 states and to gauge prosecuting and public defender attorneys' views on how well the courts in which they practice achieve the goals of access, fairness, and managerial effectiveness. Data on organizational culture in each of the 12 courts (Part 1) were obtained by administering the Court Culture Assessment Instrument (CCAI) to all judges with a felony criminal court docket and to all senior court administrators. A total of 224 respondents completed the questionnaire. Additionally, surveys were conducted of prosecuting attorneys (Part 2) and public defender attorneys (Part 3) to gauge their views on how well the courts in which they practice achieve the goals of access, fairness, and managerial effectiveness. A total of 334 prosecuting attorneys and 260 public defense attorneys completed the 46-item trial court process survey. Part 1 contains 40 variables pertaining to 5 dimensions of current and preferred court culture. Variables in Part 2 and Part 3 each include seven items from a jurisdictional practice scale, eight items from a procedural fairness scale, seven items from a resource scale, nine items from a management scale, nine items from a practitioner competence scale, and six items from a court access scale.
Curated
United States Courts of Appeals Database Phase 1, 1925-1988 (ICPSR 2086)
Released/updated on: 2006-03-30
Geographic coverage: United States
The Appeals Court Database Project was designed to create an extensive dataset to facilitate the empirical analysis of the votes of judges and the decisions of the United States Courts of Appeals. The data in this collection comprise the first phase of this project. A random sample of cases from each circuit for each year between 1925-1988 was coded for the nature of the issues presented, the statutory, constitutional, and procedural bases of the decision, the votes of the judges, and the nature of the litigants. The variables are divided into four sections: basic case characteristics, participation, issues, and judges and votes. There is a separate data file (Part 2) containing the number of cases with published decisions for each circuit/year between 1925 and 1990. These data are necessary to weight the variables in the main data file (Part 1).
Curated
Use of Adjuncts to Supplement Judicial Resources in Six Jurisdictions, 1983-1986: [United States] (ICPSR 8979)
Released/updated on: 2006-01-12
Geographic coverage: Oregon, United States, Connecticut, Minnesota, Arizona, Washington
Time period: 1983-01-01--1986-01-01
This multi-site data collection evaluates the impact of judicial adjunct attorneys and referees on the court system at the county and state levels in six jurisdictions: (1) Pima County, Arizona, (2) Multnomah County, Oregon, (3) King County, Washington, (4) Hennepin County, Minnesota, (5) Phoenix, Arizona, and (6) the state of Connecticut. There are three different units of observation in this study: (1) civil trial cases, (2) trial judges, including regular judges and adjunct attorneys, and (3) litigating attorneys. The court case data include information on type of case, date of trial, type of judge, type of disposition, and date of disposition. For the questionnaire data obtained on judges, adjuncts, and litigating attorneys, information includes experience with the program, satisfaction, and ideas for changes.