NCJ Number
82816
Date Published
1981
Length
42 pages
Annotation
The paper examines the planned and unplanned change surrouding the introduction of delay reduction programs in the courts of Providence, R.I.; Las Vegas; Detroit; and Dayton, Ohio.
Abstract
These courts were among some 25 projects funded by LEAA's Count Delay-Reduction Program. Court records on almost 3,000 cases, onsite observations, and interviews with key planners and courtroom actors provided information on the extent and nature of changes in the time required for case processing. The case processing time decreased in the upper courts of all four jurisdictions after the delay reduction programs were introduced. The time necessary to process the most difficult cases and the variability in processing time also declined. In the lower courts of Dayton and Detroit, little change occurred because the procedures were already working well. In Providence, efforts during one time period to speed up the upper courts diverted resources and resulted in increased case processing time in the lower courts. However, within a year the delay reduction efforts focusing only on the superior court produced beneficial spillover effects in the lower courts. The changes did not result from changes in the types of matters before the courts, changes in the dispositions of cases, or changes in the rates of plea bargaining. Analysis of the factors responsible for these programs' success supported the conclusion that delay reduction efforts must be responsive to the local socio-legal culture. A successful program cannot necessarily be transferred from one court to another. Future research should focus on the change process in the courts, the ways in which courts are governed and govern themselves, the interaction of the court system and its environment, and changes in court systems over time. Tables, figures, and 15 references are provided.