18 USC 3166 – District plans—contents
(a) Each plan shall include a description of the time limits, procedural techniques, innovations, systems and other methods, including the development of reliable methods for gathering and monitoring information and statistics, by which the district court, the United States attorney, the Federal public defender, if any, and private attorneys experienced in the defense of criminal cases, have expedited or intend to expedite the trial or other disposition of criminal cases, consistent with the time limits and other objectives of this chapter.
Terms Used In 18 USC 3166
- Acquittal:
- Judgement that a criminal defendant has not been proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
- A verdict of "not guilty."
- Arrest: Taking physical custody of a person by lawful authority.
- Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
- Dismissal: The dropping of a case by the judge without further consideration or hearing. Source:
- Indictment: The formal charge issued by a grand jury stating that there is enough evidence that the defendant committed the crime to justify having a trial; it is used primarily for felonies.
- Plea: In a criminal case, the defendant's statement pleading "guilty" or "not guilty" in answer to the charges, a declaration made in open court.
- Public defender: Represent defendants who can't afford an attorney in criminal matters.
- Trial: A hearing that takes place when the defendant pleads "not guilty" and witnesses are required to come to court to give evidence.
- United States: as used in this title in a territorial sense, includes all places and waters, continental or insular, subject to the jurisdiction of the United States, except the Canal Zone. See 18 USC 5
(b) Each plan shall include information concerning the implementation of the time limits and other objectives of this chapter, including:
(1) the incidence of and reasons for, requests or allowances of extensions of time beyond statutory or district standards;
(2) the incidence of, and reasons for, periods of delay under section 3161(h) of this title;
(3) the incidence of, and reasons for, the invocation of sanctions for noncompliance with time standards, or the failure to invoke such sanctions, and the nature of the sanction, if any invoked for noncompliance;
(4) the new timetable set, or requested to be set, for an extension;
(5) the effect on criminal justice administration of the prevailing time limits and sanctions, including the effects on the prosecution, the defense, the courts, the correctional process, costs, transfers and appeals;
(6) the incidence and length of, reasons for, and remedies for detention prior to trial, and information required by the provisions of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure relating to the supervision of detention pending trial;
(7) the identity of cases which, because of their special characteristics, deserve separate or different time limits as a matter of statutory classifications;
(8) the incidence of, and reasons for each thirty-day extension under section 3161(b) with respect to an indictment in that district; and
(9) the impact of compliance with the time limits of subsections (b) and (c) of section 3161 upon the civil case calendar in the district.
(c) Each district plan required by section 3165 shall include information and statistics concerning the administration of criminal justice within the district, including, but not limited to:
(1) the time span between arrest and indictment, indictment and trial, and conviction and sentencing;
(2) the number of matters presented to the United States Attorney for prosecution, and the numbers of such matters prosecuted and not prosecuted;
(3) the number of matters transferred to other districts or to States for prosecution;
(4) the number of cases disposed of by trial and by plea;
(5) the rates of nolle prosequi, dismissal, acquittal, conviction, diversion, or other disposition;
(6) the extent of preadjudication detention and release, by numbers of defendants and days in custody or at liberty prior to disposition; and
(7)(A) the number of new civil cases filed in the twelve-calendar-month period preceding the submission of the plan;
(B) the number of civil cases pending at the close of such period; and
(C) the increase or decrease in the number of civil cases pending at the close of such period, compared to the number pending at the close of the previous twelve-calendar-month period, and the length of time each such case has been pending.
(d) Each plan shall further specify the rule changes, statutory amendments, and appropriations needed to effectuate further improvements in the administration of justice in the district which cannot be accomplished without such amendments or funds.
(e) Each plan shall include recommendations to the Administrative Office of the United States Courts for reporting forms, procedures, and time requirements. The Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, with the approval of the Judicial Conference of the United States, shall prescribe such forms and procedures and time requirements consistent with section 3170 after consideration of the recommendations contained in the district plan and the need to reflect both unique local conditions and uniform national reporting standards.
(f) Each plan may be accompanied by guidelines promulgated by the judicial council of the circuit for use by all district courts within that circuit to implement and secure compliance with this chapter.