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Ninth Judicial District announces court survey |
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Wednesday, 03 September 2008 |
Judge Laurie McKinnon, together with District Court Clerk Kara Thompson announced on Friday afternoon, that the Ninth Judicial District will pilot a court users’ survey in mid-September.
Judge McKinnon tells the I-O, “The survey is part of an on-going performance measurement project in the Montana Judicial Branch. It is designed to allow courts to receive and evaluate citizen feedback about how they were treated when they used the courts, and whether the court’s processes or making decisions seemed fair.”
Everyone who exits the court on Sept. 15, – all litigants and their families, friends, victims, witnesses, attorneys, law enforcement, representatives of social services agencies, individuals conducting records’ searches, media, the general public, and others who enter court facilities for any other purpose – will be asked to complete a brief self-administered questionnaire.
The survey is designed to be completed in approximately 10 minutes or less and conducted annually. Because the survey is designed to assess the views of the court’s customers, judges and court staff are excluded from the survey.
“I am excited to be a pilot Judicial District for this survey. I am confident that what we learn in the Ninth Judicial District will assist other District Courts in the state as well as help us identify areas for improvement, “said Judge McKinnon.
The survey data will point to areas where the court is doing well or where improvements could be made.
It is often assumed that “winning’ and “losing” is what matters most to those who have encounters with courts. However, it is not what counts most in shaping the public’s trust and confidence in the courts.
Research consistently shows that it is peoples’ personal perceptions of how they were treated by the court and whether the court makes its decisions fairly, including accessibility to the court, procedural fairness, expeditious resolution of cases, no undue influences from outside sources and equal and courteous treatment of all court users.
The survey is part of a statewide performance measurement project for the Montana District Courts.
Judge McKinnon is a member of the steering committee overseeing the project. It is based on the National Center for State Courts’ CourTools, which is a set of effective performance measurements for trial courts.
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