Prisoner - prison condition
Federal civil · Prisoner Petitions · 235,179 cases filed and closed (1988–present).
235,179
Cases filed
75%
Ended before a merits judgment
176,462 of 235,179 cases
1.2%
Plaintiff win
of 58,717 merits judgments
85.4%
Defendant win
of merits judgments
How they closed
- Dismissed60.6%
- Defendant win21.3%
- Settled5.8%
- Other4.3%
- Transferred4.2%
- Decided — other3.2%
- Plaintiff win0.3%
- Remanded0.2%
- Mixed0.1%
- Affirmed0.1%
- Denied0%
Where you file matters
The same claim resolves differently across districts. Plaintiff-win rate among merits judgments, busiest courts first.
- District Court, D. Arizona19,319 cases · 12,717 decided0.3%
- District Court, N.D. Illinois14,140 cases · 1,023 decided3.6%
- District Court, D. South Carolina11,544 cases · 2,291 decided1.1%
- District Court, E.D. Arkansas11,359 cases · 5,285 decided1.4%
- District Court, M.D. Florida10,660 cases · 2,762 decided1.3%
- District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania9,572 cases · 356 decided6.5%
- District Court, N.D. California9,401 cases · 2,388 decided1%
- District Court, N.D. Florida8,465 cases · 4,146 decided0.5%
- District Court, S.D. New York8,129 cases · 1,042 decided1.2%
- District Court, W.D. Michigan7,633 cases · 802 decided2.6%
- District Court, S.D. Mississippi7,479 cases · 1,296 decided1.1%
- District Court, S.D. Indiana6,686 cases · 1,138 decided1.5%
- District Court, E.D. Virginia6,270 cases · 492 decided1.4%
- District Court, W.D. Pennsylvania5,942 cases · 1,485 decided1.2%
- District Court, M.D. Georgia5,912 cases · 1,514 decided0.6%
- District Court, M.D. Alabama5,157 cases · 484 decided0.6%
- District Court, S.D. Georgia4,996 cases · 280 decided3.2%
- District Court, D. New Jersey4,707 cases · 634 decided1.6%
- District Court, S.D. Texas4,489 cases · 482 decided1.5%
- District Court, N.D. Alabama4,423 cases · 112 decided5.4%
- District Court, S.D. Illinois4,377 cases · 998 decided2.6%
- District Court, W.D. Missouri4,179 cases · 345 decided1.7%
- District Court, D. Kansas3,786 cases · 808 decided0.9%
- District Court, W.D. Arkansas3,756 cases · 2,017 decided1.4%
- District Court, D. Colorado3,722 cases · 682 decided1.5%
- District Court, E.D. North Carolina3,639 cases · 1,991 decided0.4%
- District Court, E.D. Wisconsin3,546 cases · 924 decided0.5%
- District Court, W.D. Louisiana3,362 cases · 193 decided3.6%
- District Court, C.D. Illinois3,321 cases · 642 decided2.5%
- District Court, E.D. Louisiana2,908 cases · 1,643 decided0.6%
Source: FJC Integrated Database (public domain), via CourtListener — federal civil cases filed and terminated, 1988–present. Figures are descriptive statistics about how cases of a given type have closed in a given court. They describe the historical record — not a prediction or assessment of any specific case. Not legal advice.