NCJ Number
86298
Date Published
1979
Length
192 pages
Annotation
This series of essays identifies problems that contribute to court congestion, backlog, and inefficiency in Canada and proposes measures to address these problems.
Abstract
The opening essay discusses the value dimensions, the constitutional constraints, and the practical considerations which must be considered in shaping policies to expedite justice in Canada. The second presentation notes that litigation in Canada has increased dramatically in recent years, and the courts can handle it properly only through improved court machinery, new courts, improved legal education, pretrial techniques, improved court financing procedures, and countering specific detriments to court efficiency. Another essay advises that the efficiency of Canadian courts can be improved by ensuring judicial responsibility for court administration, the use of new administrative schemes, the institution of the court executive and improvement in management tools and techniques. Problems with videotaped evidence are identified in the next paper, problems which essentially derive from the fact that the videotape may contain very little evidentiary value in relation to the time required to view the evidence, and ways of dealing with these problems are proposed. Civil pretrial procedure and expeditious justice are examined in one paper, followed by a presentation that recommends legislative and administrative changes that will facilitate more efficient criminal procedure in Canada. The concluding essay identifies and discusses major issues associated with diversion in Canada, and possible approaches and recommendations are proposed for resolving each issue. For individual entries, see NCJ 86299-86304.