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Supreme Court of Nevada Fiat Justitia

Research & Statistics FAQs

All trial courts throughout the state submit statistics to the Supreme Court of Nevada, Administrative Office of the Courts. The following information is intended to help answer Nevada trial courts’ questions regarding statistical reporting. If you have questions that are not resolved by the information below or by the USJR data dictionary, you can email your question to the Research and Statistics Unit at statistics@nvcourts.nv.gov.

Frequently Occurring Statistical Reporting Errors

General Questions

  1. Why does the Supreme Court require USJR statistical reporting?
  2. Where can I find the prior annual reports, forms, dictionaries, and worksheets for reporting USJR statistics?
  3. I keep hearing about different phases of statistics, what does that mean?
  4. I manually do all my statistics. Do I have to report every statistic on the worksheets?
  5. Can I fix a mistake in a prior month/year report?
  6. Can I submit statistics quarterly or at the end of the fiscal year?
  7. Can I email you the USJR statistical reports instead of faxing or mailing them?

Criminal/Traffic

  1. On the USJR Phase II criminal worksheet, where do I count a disposition when the case has two different charge types? (e.g. One crime against person, and one drug.)
  2. The USJR Phase II criminal worksheet requests information on continuances. What examples fall under “court need?”
  3. How do I report stipulated continuances on the USJR Phase II criminal additional worksheet?
  4. Are traffic case-type dispositions counted by the number of charges in USJR Phase II forms?
  5. A third DUI offense is filed in justice court, where an arraignment is held, and the case is bound over to the district court. At the district court, the charges are amended down to a second offense, and the case is remanded down to justice court for the adjudication of charges. The question is where and who counts the USJR statistics on the case?
  6. There is no Nolle Prosequi (before prelim). How do we properly count those cases where the decision to not prosecute the case is made before the preliminary hearing?
  7. We are cleaning up our criminal cases. How do I dispose/adjudicate all these cases that should have been closed years ago?
  8. The defendant is deceased. How do I dispose of the case?

Family/Juvenile

  1. I used to report cases under custody/support. Now that they are separate, what should the old custody/support cases be reported it under?
  2. Where do you report Juvenile Delinquency matters involving DUI?
  3. What is set for review?
  4. What is the difference between UIFSA and Intrastate IV-D?
  5. When do I count the Title IV-D Intrastate Divorce additional caseload statistic?
  6. Does the Mental Health case type include matters involving criminal competency?
  7. What is the difference between State Initiated Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) and Other TPR?

Civil

  1. What are final dispositions and when should I use them?
  2. Which disposition should be used to report administrative closures?
  3. Which case type do I use if there are several types of issues alleged in the complaint?

Quality Assurance Reviews/Errors/Changes

  1. The USJR statistical reports I am submitting have errors on them. How do I fix them?
  2. I just received an e-mail or packet of information from the AOC-Research and Statistics Unit with the last 6 months/1 year of USJR reports from my court. What do I do with it?
  3. Collecting all this information and reporting it on multiple reports seems confusing and onerous. What happens if I don’t submit the data?
  4. What do you mean my bench trial dispositions do not match my bench trial held?

Frequently Asked Questions

General

  1. Why does the Supreme Court require USJR statistical reporting?
    Answer: The Supreme Court of Nevada issued an order in July 1999 requiring all courts to submit statistics to the Administrative Office of the Courts. NRS 1.360 requires the State Court Administrator to collect the Uniform System for Judicial Record statistics.
    Caseload statistics can be used to inform the public, and local and state governments regarding the work of the courts. For instance, some judges and administrators have used the date to advocate for additional funding or positions to increase access to justice. Additionally, this allows researchers and persons seeking data to contact the AOC for information, thereby reducing the number of requests for information received by individual courts.
  2. Where can I find the prior annual reports, forms, dictionaries, and worksheets for reporting USJR statistics?Answer: Prior Annual Reports, forms, dictionaries, and worksheets can be found on the Supreme Court website in the Research and Statistics documents.
  3. I keep hearing about different phases of statistics, what does that mean?
    Answer: In 1999, when the Uniform System for Judicial Records (USJR) was implemented, USJR statistics were planned to be completed in phases with the ultimate goal of collecting all the necessary information to analyze the workload of the courts. Understanding the limitation on resources and technologies, it was determined that the USJR statistical model would be implemented in phases with each phase requiring additional detailed statistics. In 2007, the AOC began work on implementing phase II of the USJR statistics. Criminal statistics were chosen to be the first case type for phase II because it needed the most improvement, is requested most often, and completing it would ease implementing phase II for all other case types. In July 2009, phase II criminal changes were implemented and in July 2012, family and juvenile family phase II were implemented. Civil phase II changes were implemented in July 2014. Future phases may include time measurements for statistics related to the age of case and time to disposition.
  4. I manually do all my statistics. Do I have to report every statistic on the worksheets?
    Answer: For courts that count their statistics manually most statistical reporting information is required. The following fields are required on the criminal, family, and juvenile caseload worksheets: New Filings, Charges, Reopened, and Original and Reopened Dispositions. Begin/End Pending statistics (Active and Inactive), Reactivated, and Placed on Inactive Status are not required for courts that count statistics manually.

    On the criminal, family, and juvenile disposition worksheets, all rows are required and courts should do their best to report all the requested information.

    All statistics requested on the Civil worksheets should be completed to the best of your ability.

    If you are continuously struggling with capturing and reporting information because of your lack of resources or technology, please contact us in the Research and Statistic Unit for further guidance and assistance.
  5. Can I fix a mistake in a prior month/year report?
    Answer: Statistics may be corrected at any time by providing a revised worksheet. Corrections can also be made by changing the information sent to each court during quality assurance reviews every 6 months.
  6. Can I submit statistics quarterly or at the end of the fiscal year?
    Answer: We strongly encourage all courts to provide monthly reports in accordance with the Supreme Court Order. Some exceptions have been made for courts facing serious resource issues, but those exceptions are rare. In addition, monthly submissions allow us to review reports regularly and catch errors or irregularities in reporting before they become larger problems.
  7. Can I email you the USJR statistical reports instead of faxing or mailing them?
    Answer: Absolutely, but we prefer they be sent via email. This allows us to respond to you that we received them. This also allows us to be more responsive with courts to correct statistical anomalies or errors in the data as both the court and research staff can ensure they are reviewing the same information. Reports can be emailed to statistics@nvcourts.nv.gov.

Criminal/Traffic

  1. On the USJR Phase II criminal worksheet, where do I count a disposition when the case has two different charge types? (e.g. Assault, Drugs.)
    Answer: Dispositions should be reported according to the hierarchies established on the phase II criminal worksheet and defined in the USJR Data Dictionary (pgs. 10 and 13). Please be mindful that we are measuring the disposition of the case, not the specific charge of the case type.

    (EXAMPLE: The assault charge was dismissed before trial and the drug charge was disposed of as a guilty plea with sentence (before trial). The disposition that would be reported on this case is the “guilty plea with sentence (before trial)” in the crimes against persons column.)
  2. The USJR Phase II criminal worksheet requests information on continuances. What examples fall under “court need?”
    Answer: “Court need” continuances are those where a judge continues the case for additional time to review issues or information in the case and where the continuance is due to the court’s own needs rather than a request from a specific party in the case.
  3. How do I report stipulated continuances on the USJR Phase II criminal additional worksheet?
    Answer: A stipulated continuance should be reported under who requested the continuance. If it is unclear who is asking for the continuance, report it under whoever drafted the stipulation. If needed, use the “other” row as a last resort to count these.
  4. Are traffic case-type dispositions counted by the number of charges in USJR Phase II forms?
    Answer: No, traffic is no longer counted by charge, only by case. This allows us to determine clearance rates and make an appropriate determination for pending caseloads. Charges are still being measured (row 2a), but are no longer used when reporting dispositions. Please see question 8 for determining how to count dispositions.
  5. A third DUI offense is filed in justice court, where an arraignment is held, and the case is bound over to the district court. At the district court, the charges are amended down to a second offense, and the case is remanded down to justice court for the adjudication of charges. The question is where and who counts the USJR statistics on the case?
    Answer: Several different counts will be reported in this example. (e.g., filings, dispositions, and remands appear on the case and are subsequently reported by the courts.)

    The initial filing of the third DUI complaint is counted in Justice Court as a new filing under the "Felony Motor Vehicle DUI" case-type column on the caseload worksheet. In addition to the new filing, the charge should be counted in the appropriate row under the same column. Once the case is bound over, the case disposition is then entered on the disposition worksheet as "Bindover" under the "Felony Motor Vehicle DUI” column by the Justice Court.

    The District Court then reports the new filing of the case on the caseload worksheet as a "Felony Motor Vehicle DUI" when they receive the information, so long as it still indicates the third DUI offense. Once again, the charge should also be counted on the appropriate row under the "Felony Motor Vehicle DUI" column. Once the case is amended to a second DUI and remanded to Justice Court, the District Court should enter a disposition of the case on the disposition worksheet under the "Felony Motor Vehicle DUI" case-type column as "Other Manner of Disposition".

    The Justice Court upon receiving the remanded case should report it on the caseload worksheet as reopened under the "Misdemeanor Motor Vehicle DUI" column because it is remanded as the second DUI. The case should also be reported as a “remanded case” on the additional caseload worksheet. When the case is adjudicated in Justice Court, a disposition should be entered on the disposition worksheet under the "Misdemeanor Motor Vehicle DUI" column for whichever disposition (e.g., guilty plea with sentence before trial, dismissed before trial, etc.) is reached.
  6. There is no Nolle Prosequi (before prelim). How do we properly count those cases where the decision to not prosecute the case is made before the preliminary hearing?
    Answer: The disposition Nolle Prosequi (before trial) can be used for any case that is not being prosecuted before a trial, including cases that have not had a preliminary hearing.
  7. We are cleaning up our criminal cases. How do I dispose/adjudicate all these cases that should have been closed years ago?
    Answer: Congratulations, cleaning up case information helps increase the accuracy of your statistics. First, what we would ask is that you let us know you are cleaning up the cases so that we do not call inquiring about the increase in dispositions, resulted hearings, or other information reported in your statistics. It will also assist the Research and Statistics unit with analyzing the statistics for the Annual Report. Second, if you can determine how the case should have been disposed originally, use that disposition. If you cannot determine how it should have been disposed, please use “Other Manner of Disposition.”
  8. The defendant is deceased. How do I dispose of the case?
    Answer: There are two possible solutions. First, has the DA/City Attorney filed anything to dispose of the case (e.g. Motion to Dismiss)? If so, you should dispose of the case as dismissed before trial.

    If nothing has been filed and you are disposing of the case administratively, you should close the case as “Other Manner of Disposition.”

Family/Juvenile

  1. I used to report cases under custody/support. Now that they are separate, what should the old custody/support cases be reported it under?
    Answer: Old cases that were reported under the Custody/Support case type in phase I should be counted in the Custody case type in phase II. New cases should be reported in the appropriate case type.
  2. Where do you report Juvenile Delinquency matters involving DUI?
    Answer: These should be reported as Public Order case type under the Delinquency case category.
  3. What is set for review?
    Answer: Set for review counts those cases that have been disposed but remain under the court’s supervision or review. The report should count the total number of cases scheduled for review at the time the report is generated.
  4. What is the difference between UIFSA and Intrastate IV-D?
    Answer: The difference between UIFSA and Intrastate IV-D are that UIFSA are support matters where one parent resides out of the state. Intrastate are support matters where both parties reside in the state. Only report support matters in these case types if the DA or Attorney General is filing the case.
  5. When do I count the IV-D Intrastate Divorce additional caseload statistic?
    Answer: After the initial disposition of a marriage dissolution (divorce) case where both parties still reside in the State, if a party, DA, or Attorney General files a request to enforce the support order in the divorce case, report a reopen count under the marriage dissolution case type on the caseload worksheet and report a case count on the family additional statistics of IV-D Intrastate (Divorce)
  6. Does the Mental Health case type include matters involving criminal competency?
    Answer: No, the Mental Health case type only involves those matters associated with the commitment or mentally ill persons. Criminal competency and guardianship matters are heard as a part of the respective criminal and guardianship matters and should not be reported in the USJR statistics.
  7. What is the difference between State Initiated Termination of Parental Rights (TPR) and Other TPR?
    Answer: To best answer this we will provide the following example.
    In State Initiated TPR case type, a DA may request termination of parental rights due to an abuse or neglect situation. In the Other TPR case type, a parent (mother) may request the termination of parental rights of another parent (biological father), so the child can be adopted by a step-parent (step-father).
    Thus, “State Initiated” refers to the DA filing the request, and “Other TPR” refers to someone other than the DA filing the request.

Civil

  1. What are final dispositions, and should I use them?
    Answer: A person should first capture an “original” disposition in the dispositions listed on the worksheet between Voluntary Dismissal through Jury Trial. A final disposition should be reported as a secondary disposition when matters are fully resolved and can no longer be reopened.
  2. Which disposition should be used to report administrative closures?
    Answer: The disposition that should be used for administrative closures in civil matters is involuntary dismissal. We would also encourage you to notify us at the Research and Statistics Unit of the administrative closures at statistics@nvcourts.nv.gov, as we will likely call asking about the increase in dispositions if you do not.
  3. Which case type do I report if there are several types of issues alleged in the complaint?
    Answer: It is preferred that you follow what has been checked on the civil coversheet. If multiple case types have been checked or there is not a civil coversheet, seek clarification from the filing party. If the party is unreachable, try to pick the most prevailing or serious allegation or complaint and report it under that case type. As a last resort, you may file it in the other civil case type.

Quality Assurance Reviews/Errors/Changes

  1. The USJR statistical reports I am submitting have errors on them. How do I fix them?
    Answer: Good catch finding the error. It depends on your computer system. If you have the “state sponsored” Courtview as your case management system, contact the AOC IT NCS Helpdesk at (775) 687-9898. If you have an ADS case management system, contact ADS at (800) 748-6897 (ask for Mike or Erin). If your case management system is locally controlled, contact your local IT professional.

    At anytime, you can contact us and we will do our best to help you troubleshoot the issues and resolve the error. Call (702) 486-9333, 486-9334, 486-9335 or email at statistics@nvcourts.nv.gov
  2. I just received an e-mail or packet of information from the AOC-Research and Statistics Unit with the last 6 months/1 year of USJR reports from my court. What do I do with it?
    Answer: Congratulations, you are the proud recipient of our quality assurance process. The reports you received are indeed the statistics that have been reported for your court during the prior 6 months or 1 year. Please compare them to the prior 6 months or 1 year that you reported (even reprinting prior months if possible) to ensure numbers are still accurate. Also, we may have made comments or notes addressing discrepancies in your reports. Make whatever corrections, if any, that are necessary and send them back to the Research and Statistics Unit to update the databases. Even if you have no corrections, report to the Research and Statistics Unit that no corrections are needed.

    Your review of these materials helps make certain that the information reported and published by the AOC about your court is as accurate as possible.
  3. Collecting all this information and reporting it on multiple reports seems confusing and onerous. What happens if I don’t submit the data?
    Answer: We recognize USJR are complex, extensive and very time consuming. Please do not ignore them, the problems will not go away in fact they will only get worse. Please call or email anybody in the Research and Statistics Unit. We offer training, helpful ideas and discussion, and depending on travel budgets, we may be able to come to your court and offer some assistance. Call (702) 486-9333, 486-9334, 486-9335 or email at statistics@nvcourts.nv.gov
  4. What do you mean my bench trial dispositions do not match my bench trial held?
    Answer: According to the definitions in the data dictionary, a bench trial is held when a trial begins and evidence is taken or witnesses are sworn. Accordingly, if you have indicated that the bench trial was held, then a corresponding bench trial disposition should be used to dispose of the case.

Frequently Occurring Errors

  1. Totals are not provided on the disposition worksheet.
    Solution: Statistic preparers should indicate totals on the non-trial disposition, bench trial disposition, and jury trial disposition rows. Those totals are then combined and added to other dispositions for the grand total on the bottom row of the disposition worksheet. An example is provided on page 17 of the data dictionary.
  2. Dispositions are not being entered on the caseload worksheet.
    Solution: On the caseload worksheet, rows 5a and 5b should equal the grand total provided on the disposition worksheet.
  3. Concluded hearings are being reported as dispositions.
    Solution: The only dispositions we capture are on the case (e.g., dismissals, guilty pleas, etc.)
  4. On the criminal caseload worksheet, the cases reported in the end pending categories do not add up correctly.
    Solution: Pg. 12 of the data dictionary provides an example of how your caseload statistics should add up to determine the ending pending caseload statistics.
  5. Question: Can a “Blank=0” statement be entered on phase II forms?
    Answer: No, this will result in “0” being reported inaccurately in many instances, especially on the Caseload Worksheet. Keep in mind, for statistics we cannot determine if blank really means zero or if it means it cannot be reported.. Courts should enter “0” in a field that they are able to accurately report in which nothing has been filed or occurred on a specific case type.