NCJ Number
124746
Journal
ABA Journal Volume: 76 Dated: (July 1990) Pages: 50-53
Date Published
1990
Length
4 pages
Annotation
As is true for most courts, the Los Angeles municipal court system's crush of cases forced them to automate.
Abstract
Los Angeles County has 24 municipal courts; all together, they are bigger than most state court systems. Each court is a separate and distinct governmental entity with its own needs and its own leaders. Municipal Court Information (MCI) is the centerpiece of the Los Angeles courts' computer system. The basic idea for the system encompassed a paperless docket in criminal cases. The broader idea was to tie MCI to the county sheriff's still-developing computer system so that one system could automatically update the other as charges were filed, cases disposed of and arrest warrants issued or recalled. The municipal courts are just putting the finishing touches on a new program to control revenues and disbursements, and another to keep track of civil cases. Generally, court systems for traffic or criminal dockets have been designed primarily to automate clerks' offices, where most paper shuffling goes on. The big change underway in Los Angeles comes from calls for systems specifically for judges. These systems would help spot calendar clogs or trends in cases.