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WASHINGTON, Nov. 6 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) released today Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005 (NCJ 228129), which discusses tort cases concluded by a bench or jury trial in a national sample of jurisdictions in 2005.

Topics include the types of tort cases that proceed to trial, the differences between tort cases adjudicated by judges and juries, and the types of plaintiffs and defendants represented in tort trials. The report also covers plaintiff win rates, punitive damages, and the final award amounts generated in tort trial litigation. Lastly, tort trial litigation trends are examined in the nation's 75 most populous counties, based on comparable data in 1996, 2001, and 2005.

TITLE: Tort Bench and Jury Trials in State Courts, 2005

AUTHOR: Thomas H. Cohen

WHERE: http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/abstract/tbjtsc05.htm

The Office of Justice Programs, headed by Acting Assistant Attorney General Mary Lou Leary, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has five component bureaus: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; and the Office for Victims of Crime. Additionally, OJP has two program offices: the Community Capacity Development Office, which incorporates the Weed and Seed strategy, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information can be found at http://www.ojp.gov.

BJS 10-020

SOURCE Office of Justice Programs - U.S. Department of Justice