Track 1 · Criminal Court
3,075
Felony filings · FY 2023–24
2,787Disposed
57Jury trials
600Pre-trial exits
1.9%Trial rate
Track 2 · Family Court
7,234
Family law filings · FY 2023–24
2,171DV cases
30%DV rate
7Judges
~1,034Cases/judge
Track 3 · First District Court of Appeal
2,600
Total filings · FY 2023–24
1,876Appeals
724Writs
756Criminal appeals
415Criminal writs
Track 1 — Criminal Court
Felony · FY 2023–24
Contra Costa DA Interpersonal Violence Unit (IVU) — FY 2024 Annual Report:
The unit handling domestic violence, sexual assault, and elder abuse prosecutions ran 20 jury trials with an 85% conviction rate — meaning approximately 17 convictions across all DV/SA/elder abuse matters combined. Meanwhile, 2,171 DV protective order cases were simultaneously active in Family Court as civil proceedings with no criminal accountability.
Felony disposition methods
Filings vs. dispositions — felony only
System gap: Of 3,075 felony filings, only 57 went to jury trial (1.9%). An additional 600 cases exited before or after preliminary hearing without conviction — representing a ~21.5% pre-trial attrition rate. This aligns with reported patterns where DV/SA cases are declined or dismissed at the charging stage, leaving survivors with civil restraining orders as the only remedy.
Track 2 — Family Court
All family law · FY 2023–24
The transfer effect: When criminal DV/SA charges are declined or dismissed, survivors are redirected to Family Court — a civil venue with lower evidentiary standards but also no incarceration risk for perpetrators. Contra Costa's 30% DV rate in family court (#2 highest in California, behind Sacramento at 32.7%) reflects this systematic re-routing.
Family law case-type breakdown
Judicial capacity — 7 officers, ~1,034 cases each
Track 3 — First District Court of Appeal
Covers Contra Costa · FY 2023–24
The appellate layer: The California First District Court of Appeal covers Contra Costa County. In FY 2023–24, it received 2,600 total filings — including 756 criminal appeals and 415 criminal writs (habeas corpus and other extraordinary relief). Writs are the primary mechanism families use to challenge unlawful orders from trial courts when direct appeal is too slow.
First District — filings by type and category
Criminal vs. civil vs. juvenile — appeals + writs
Writ volume context: 724 original proceedings (writs) were filed in FY 2023–24. Criminal writs (415) outnumber civil (240) and juvenile (69) combined. Habeas corpus petitions and writ of mandate/prohibition are the tools families use to challenge custody orders, detention without jurisdiction, and judicial misconduct — but the First District disposed of 2,636 matters against 2,600 filed, meaning a slight clearing of the backlog.
Cross-Track Volume Comparison
All three tracksAnnual filings across all three CC court tracks (FY 2023–24)
Data Audit — Source Verification
| Fact | Value | Source | Tier | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CC felony filings | 3,075 | CSR 2025, Table 7a, p.126 (PDF p.138), Col B | T1 | Verbatim from Judicial Council dataset |
| CC felony dispositions | 2,787 | CSR 2025, Table 7b, p.128 (PDF p.140), Col B | T1 | Verbatim |
| CC felony — guilty pleas | 2,120 | CSR 2025, Table 8a, p.130 (PDF p.142), Col C | T1 | 76.1% of all dispositions |
| CC felony — other before prelim hearing | 3 | CSR 2025, Table 8a, PDF p.142, Col D | T1 | Dismissed/declined before preliminary hearing |
| CC felony — other after prelim hearing | 600 | CSR 2025, Table 8a, PDF p.142, Col E | T1 | Pre-trial exits post-preliminary hearing |
| CC felony — court trials | 7 | CSR 2025, Table 8a, PDF p.142, Col F | T1 | Bench trials |
| CC felony — jury trials | 57 | CSR 2025, Table 8a, PDF p.142, Col G | T1 | 1.85% of dispositions went to jury |
| CC family law — total filings | 7,234 | CSR 2025, Table 11a (PDF p.156), Col A | T1 | FY 2023–24 verbatim |
| CC family law — DV filings | 2,171 | CSR 2025, Table 11a (PDF p.156), Col D | T1 | 30.0% of total; #2 highest DV rate statewide |
| First District — total filings | 2,600 | CSR 2025, Table 3 (PDF p.54) | T1 | FY 2023–24; covers CC, SF, Marin, Sonoma, Solano, etc. |
| First District — notices of appeal | 1,876 | CSR 2025, Table 3 (PDF p.54) | T1 | Civil 908 + Criminal 756 + Juvenile 212 |
| First District — original proceedings (writs) | 724 | CSR 2025, Table 3 (PDF p.54) | T1 | Civil 240 + Criminal 415 + Juvenile 69 |
| CC DA IVU — jury trials | 20 | CC DA Annual Report 2025 (Interpersonal Violence Unit) | T2 | DV + sexual assault + elder abuse combined; 85% conviction rate |
| CC — 7 family law judicial officers | 7 | CC Superior Court direct calendar system, public roster | T2 | Caseload computed: 7,234 ÷ 7 = ~1,034/year per officer |