NCJ Number
149573
Journal
Justice System Journal Volume: 16 Issue: 3 Dated: (1994) Pages: 93-100
Date Published
1994
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This note introduces a research design that may serve as both a management and a political tool for agencies to justify resources by quantifiable means and to enhance departmental performance.
Abstract
The Maryland judiciary, faced with the financial constraints inflicted by the economic recession, examined a statistical approach to certify clerical staffing levels. The methodology uses inclusive data collection weighted caseloads, linear projections, and full-time equivalent measures for employees. With this design, the Maryland judiciary can justify and maximize the allocation of its clerical resources by valid and reliable analytical means. This methodology also diagnoses areas of inefficiency, which can be addressed specifically with procedural alterations and staffing adjustments. In most jurisdictions, data relevant to aggregate workload, i.e., caseload, recording land instruments, etc., are captured routinely and usually in some automated format. Procedures often are formalized into operational manuals and provide baseline data for verification and analysis. A derivative of this type of analysis is the required examination of procedures that may have never stood the test of review and evaluation since their adoption. The investment made in data collection and analysis yields a high rate of return in the form of political (budgetary) and managerial dividends by providing powerful quantitative justification to the funding authority and an evaluation tool to measure procedural efficiency. 4 charts and 9 references