1 Court Research Needs and Interests at the Local Level Association for Criminal Justice Research, California Sacramento, March 2008 Sandy Hilger, Ph. D. Planning and Research Officer Superior Court of California, Orange County

2 Setting the Context Large Urban Court: Large Urban Court: 5 th largest court in the nation, 5 major 5 th largest court in the nation, 5 major justice centers County population of 3 million County population of 3 million Over 500,000 traffic citations per year and approximately 95,000 misdemeanor and felony filings per year Over 500,000 traffic citations per year and approximately 95,000 misdemeanor and felony filings per year 109 judges and 34 commissioners and 1800 staff positions 109 judges and 34 commissioners and 1800 staff positions

3 Setting the Context Mission Statement of the Court: “to serve the public by administering justice and resolving disputes under the law, thereby protecting the rights and liberties guaranteed by the Constitutions of California and of the United States of America.”

4 Setting the Context History of the Planning and Research Unit: 2003 NCSC review of court management …make management priorities known and make this a standard of accountability …base management priorities on taking a business orientation to the challenges that the Court faces …develop a rational way to prioritize services to the public, keeping in mind its broad customer service mission NCSC: National Center for State Courts, Virginia

5 Mission of the Planning and Research Unit The mission of the Planning and Research unit is to strengthen the court by: Providing information regarding the needs and expectations of our constituents and stakeholders*, evaluating the overall performance of the court, and providing technical assistance on court performance improvement projects.

6 Initial Needs Assessment Summary of needs expressed during interviews of judicial officers and managers:   Data integrity   Report validation and centralization   Internal management reports   Reports to the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC)   Unification of processes   Program evaluation   Resource allocation and prioritization needs   Information and processes for decision making

7 Strategic Planning and Research Why link research to strategic planning?   In support of planning:   Performance evaluation   Trends   In support of research:   Prioritization   Communication and alignment   Timing:   Collaboration (internal and external)   Project dependency (e.g. upon data system builds)

8 Trends: Indicators of Research Needs National Trends : Population trends: increasing diversity, impact of an aging population Population trends: increasing diversity, impact of an aging population Access to Justice: the Self-Represented Litigants Access to Justice: the Self-Represented Litigants Problem-Solving Court (drug courts, DUI courts, etc.) Problem-Solving Court (drug courts, DUI courts, etc.) Measuring Court Performance Measuring Court Performance Impact of Technology Impact of Technology Privacy and public access to court records Privacy and public access to court records Judicial Independence and selection Judicial Independence and selection State Courts and Budget Challenges State Courts and Budget Challenges Publication: Future Trends in State Courts 2007 Justice In the Balance, 2020 – Report of the Commission on the Future of California Courts (1993)

9 Trends: Indicators of Research Needs State Trends : Population Growth Population Growth Ethnic diversity, language and age diversity Ethnic diversity, language and age diversity Regionalism – shift in most populous counties Regionalism – shift in most populous counties Political distrust Political distrust Economic booms and busts – regional differences Economic booms and busts – regional differences Infrastructure: CA ranks near the bottom among the fifty states in spending on infrastructure other than prisons. Infrastructure: CA ranks near the bottom among the fifty states in spending on infrastructure other than prisons. Sipes, Larry Committed to Justice: The Rise of Judicial Administration in California, Administrative Office of the Courts, 2002.

10 California Strategic Plan Judicial Branch Goals: 1: Access, Fairness, and Diversity 2: Independence and Accountability 3: Modernization of Management and Administration 4: Quality of Justice and Service to the Public 5: Education for Branchwide Professional Excellence 6: Branchwide Infrastructure for Service Excellence

11 Research Projects Access/ Fairness/Diversity: Self-Help Study: Court User Needs Analysis. Three surveys: Exit survey of court users, survey of attorneys, staff and judicial officer survey Attorney Outreach Survey: On-line survey of attorneys. Purpose was to invite them to provide input to the strategic plan of the court and to give us feedback regarding the court. Conducted in collaboration with the bar associations. Traffic Study: Survey, focus groups and interviews. Purpose is to provide input regarding services used by the public to resolve traffic matters.

12 Research Projects Court Culture Study: Conducted with NCSC (Brian Ostrom). Purpose is to examine the “culture” of governance and structure of the court. Collaborative (Problem-Solving Courts) Evaluations: Drug Court evaluations were conducted in the past. Domestic Violence “Safe Families Program” and DUI court evaluations currently being conducted. Community Court will be an up- coming evaluation project. Alternate Dispute Resolution: Requests have been made for studies of alternative dispute resolution. Requests have been made for studies of alternative dispute resolution.

13 Research Projects Case Management/Timeliness Studies: Family Law study of time to disposition, number of Order to Show Cause Hearings, etc. (Pre-Post Studies) Process Improvement Studies: Studies are being conducted designed to provide consistency in processes and procedures, and in the use of case management system. Studies are being conducted designed to provide consistency in processes and procedures, and in the use of case management system. Data validation and report reliability studies: Data and report validation and reliability is a priority for our unit. This is a long-term effort.

14 Planning and Research Unit Staff Planning and Research Officer/Manager (Sandy Hilger) Planning and Research Officer/Manager (Sandy Hilger) Administrative Assistant (Kari Gates) Administrative Assistant (Kari Gates) Two researchers (Dan Petras, Dae Lee) Two researchers (Dan Petras, Dae Lee) Process-improvement specialist (Janet Hamlin- Clinkscales) Process-improvement specialist (Janet Hamlin- Clinkscales) Grants manager (Julia Jim) Grants manager (Julia Jim) Strategic planning specialist (Janine Boiarsky) Strategic planning specialist (Janine Boiarsky) Legislative analyst (Erin Rigby) Legislative analyst (Erin Rigby) 3 graduate student paid “extra help” interns 3 graduate student paid “extra help” interns Judicial Administration Fellow Judicial Administration Fellow

15 In Closing… Please attend this afternoons court research forum/discussion form 1:30 – 3:00 if you are in any way interested in research topics as they apply to the courts. Contact information for the Planning and Research Unit, Superior Court of California, Orange County: Sandy Hilger, Ph.D. Planning and Research Officer (714)