NCJ Number
225818
Editor(s)
Carol R. Flango,
Amy M. McDowell,
Charles F. Campbell,
Neal B. Kauder
Date Published
2008
Length
140 pages
Annotation
This study examined trends not only in judicial administration but also in society that could affect their operations and public trust and confidence in the justice system.
Abstract
Articles range from IT strategic planning to case management to intrusive technology to the accessibility of court Web sites. Chief Justice Randall T. Shepard of Indiana explores how his State’s use of court technology improves service to the public. The publication tackles the subject of finances and budgets: one article focuses on the practical concern of how courts can improve their collection of fines and fees; other articles look at outside influences on court budgets, such as State budgets and legislative policymaking; Chief Justice Thomas Moyer shares how the courts in Ohio are dealing with the influx of foreclosure cases, more than 83,000 in Ohio alone in 2007 which were brought on by the subprime mortgage crisis; the State’s “Save the Dream” program shows how courts can go beyond just processing cases to being a positive force in people’s lives. Authors also give a look at how courts are improving access to justice: one article describes a new curriculum to teach judges how to improve their communication with pro se litigants; courts can make life easier not only for pro se litigants but also for judges and their staff by using online document-assembly programs to ensure that court forms are properly filled out; and funding of indigent defense in West Virginia is discussed, as is Alaska’s use of a Language Interpreter Center to coordinate the training and availability of foreign-language interpreters for courts and State agencies. Other articles discuss important issues related to judicial administration and problem solving justice; the impact of Federal legislation on State courts; the use of entry screening to ensure court security, courts and cases involving elder abuse; and a drug treatment court in Nebraska. Tables, resources, and notes