NCJ Number
161570
Date Published
July 1997
Length
57 pages
Annotation
This report presents 22 standards for trial court performance and provides substantive commentary on the rationale for each standard; it also includes an overview of the measurement system.
Abstract
The standards are designed for use by State general jurisdiction trial courts to assess and improve their performance. The first section of the report articulates and comments on 22 separate performance standards for general jurisdiction trial courts. The standards are grouped into five performance areas: access to justice; expedition and timeliness; equality, fairness, and integrity; independence and accountability; and public trust and confidence. The standards and accompanying commentaries are presented in a common format. A brief overview introduces each of the five performances areas. The standards are not rigid rules; they are guiding principles. Specific performance measures and data collection methods and techniques associated with the standards are summarized in the last section of the report. The summary is intended to instruct the reader in the general approach and requirement for performance measurement and to reinforce the concept that the use of the standards relies on the understanding and application of data. Three appendixes provide additional information for the exploration of trial court performance issues in greater depth.