NCJ Number
158751
Date Published
1995
Length
83 pages
Annotation
A pilot study was conducted to assess the feasibility of a survey method of measuring the satisfaction of courts in Great Britain with the service provided by the British probation service.
Abstract
The project's specific aims were to design a simple questionnaire and to devise satisfaction scores for aspects of probation work in courts. The magistrates' questionnaire consisted of 36 questions, most of which could be answered by checking boxes. The questionnaire included space for general comments. The questions covered general satisfaction levels and relationship with the probation service, knowledge, presentence reports, supervision, enforcement, the Probation Liaison Committees, and the initial impact of national standards. The questionnaires were sent to 125 justices' clerks, asking them to fill in their own questionnaire and pass on questionnaires to five magistrates. Questionnaires also went to 35 stipendiary magistrates, 20 Crown Court chief clerks, and 20 Crown Court judges. The response rate was 82 percent. Findings indicated that a postal survey would be an effective method of setting up and maintaining a statistically viable satisfaction indicator for magistrates' courts. However, it would be difficult to achieve a large enough sample in the Crown Court to calculate a separate indicator. Nevertheless, similar surveys, concentrated more on openended questioning, could be used to determine the opinions of judges. Tables, appended instruments and additional results, 2 references, and list of other Home Office publications