NCJ Number
144024
Date Published
1991
Length
40 pages
Annotation
Due to constitutional and statutory changes, effective July 1, 1991, the Pima County (Arizona) Consolidated Justice Courts experienced increased civil jurisdiction. The Presiding Judge requested the Courts Technical Assistance Project (CTAP) to explore the feasibility of developing a Differentiated Case Management (DCM) system to allow the Court to dispose of the larger caseload efficiently and with no detriment to the criminal case process.
Abstract
Researchers estimated that of the 11,000 civil filings per year before the court, a greater percentage of cases would involve claims for damages between $1,001 and $2,500 and that the mix of cases would become much more varied, requiring the court to spend more time on general civil matters. It is also likely that more cases will require jury trials. CTAP analysts recommended that the court consider establishing processing tracks for all general civil filings, adopt time standards for each track, and distribute to the bar a case filing cover sheet to allow the court to determine the appropriate track for each case. In addition, the court should abolish the practice of allowing cases to remain on the calendar until attorneys file a notice of readiness. Other recommendations dealt with scheduling cases assigned to the various tracks, judges' administrative duties, alternative dispute resolution, and screening of cases filed in Superior Court. 4 appendixes