NCJ Number
108475
Date Published
1987
Length
0 pages
Annotation
Speakers discuss techniques for reducing pretrial delay and sustaining efficient case processing once it is instituted.
Abstract
Barry Mahoney, director of the Institute for Court Management, draws lessons on pretrial case processing from a study of 18 high-volume urban criminal courts. The study concludes that case delay is not inevitable and that case processing times can be reduced through various strategic efforts. Although there is no single model for reducing case delay, successful courts have some common characteristics. These include leadership by the chief judge, prosecutors, and court administrators; time standards for case processing; communication among court personnel; rapid case screening; early assignment of counsel for indigent defendants; and court personnel training in case management. Maureen Solomon, a consultant for court management, focuses on multiple case tracks based on case differentiation according to complexity. Each case track has its own court personnel and resources to deal with the types of cases being processed. Time standards for each track reflect the cases' complexity. Judge Michael Mann of the Maricopa County Court (Phoenix, Ariz.) suggests ways to sustain efficient case processing some 2-10 years after instituting a delay-reduction system. Some measures used are temporary judges to handle overflow, ongoing sanctions and rewards, and ongoing inservice training for teams of court personnel. Audience questions are included.