The system focuses on five performance areas: access to justice; expedition and timeliness; equality, fairness, and integrity; independence and accountability; and public trust and confidence. The organization of the manual follows that of the measurement system. The measurement approaches associated with each standard in the five performance areas are described in separate sections. The titles, text, and commentary of the standards are followed by a brief overview of the measures, methods, and techniques associated with them. The overviews are designed to assist the reader in understanding the general approach and requirements for the measures without studying the detailed prescriptions for applying them. Specific measures and data-collection forms follow each standard and measurement overview. The description of each measure has four parts. First, an introductory section explains the measure's purpose and how it relates to its associated standard, followed by a planning/preparation section that details any preparatory work necessary to apply the measure. A record review measure designates which case files are to be examined. This section also indicates whether certain individuals in the court should be consulted before conducting a measure. A data-collection section then outlines the particular steps necessary for collecting the data for the measure. A final section on data analysis and report preparation describes how the gathered data should be analyzed and often recommends how the results can be presented to court officials and other relevant audiences.
Trial Court Performance Standards and Measurement System Implementation Manual
NCJ Number
161567
Date Published
July 1997
Length
482 pages
Annotation
This is a detailed guide for implementing the Trial Court Performance Standards and Measurement System; it is intended for judges, court managers, lawyers, policymakers, court staff, and other professionals who will participate in the implementation process.
Abstract