NCJ Number
80336
Date Published
1978
Length
71 pages
Annotation
This preliminary plan design for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas (Ohio) documents court needs and proposes policies for meeting them in the areas of court financing, caseflow management, jury practices, the computer system, personnel administration, development of a procedures manual, and public access and information.
Abstract
The court planning process consists of the following steps: (1) documentation of needs, (2) assessment and articulation of needs followed by policy proposals to meet them, (3) adoption of specific policies by the highest court administrative authority, and (4) implementation. This study reports on the first two steps -documentation and articulation -- conducted in certain areas of the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. An overall trend is evident from the study. The court has provided short-term remedies for problems without integrating them into a systemwide approach more suitable for the long term. While past funding has been sufficient to meet immediate court needs, the budget process has not been used as a planning and management tool. Further, the computer system has not been tied adequately to the caseflow management system, thus reducing the potential for the system's smooth operation. Other concerns, such as public access and information and a personnel system in compliance with equal employment opportunity guidelines, are common to many jurisdictions nationwide. Objectives are set for each court area examined, and recommendations for implementing the objectives are presented. Tables, forms, and footnotes are included. Appendixes discuss the Philadelphia Justice Information System, computers in the courts, the Williamsburg II conference on State courts, and the impact on courts of Federal employment laws. For supplemental material, see NCJ 80337.