5.20. I run all (or a huge part) of the regression test suite as part of a cron job or other nightly process. I'd like to generate my own reports or I'd like to send myself e-mail whenever a test fails. Do I have to parse the verbose output or the .jtr file?

No. The harness supports an observer interface. APIs exist to query test results at the conclusion of the test's execution. A user can write their own observer to record and act on information as desired.