Fostering innovation in the U.S. court system : identifying high-priority technology and other needs for improving court operations and outcomes / Brian A. Jackson, Duren Banks, John S. Hollywood, Dulani Woods, Amanda Royal, Patrick W. Woodson, Nicole J. Johnson.
Publisher:
RAND,
Copyright Date:
2016
Description:
xxv, 138 pages : color illustrations, color map ; 28 cm
At head of title: Priority Criminal Justice Needs Initiative, a project of the RAND Corporation, the Police Executive Research Forum, RTI International, and the University of Denver. Includes bibliographical references (pages 127-138).
Contents:
References. Figures and Tables -- Summary -- Acknowledgments -- Abbreviations -- Chapter 5. Introduction: Considering Innovation in U.S. Courts -- About This Report -- Chapter 2: The State of the U.S. Court System Today: Key Trends and Challenges for the U.S. Court System: Court Caseloads and Resource Scarcity -- Court Security and Preparedness -- Proliferation of Problem-Solving Courts -- Racial and Economic Disparities in Case Processing and Outcomes -- Increasing Prominence of Pro Se Litigants -- Courts and Changing Technology -- Moving Forward -- Chapter 3. Court Technology and Practice Today -- A Taxonomy of Court Technology and Practice -- The State of the Art TodaýSketching the Foundation for Court Innovation: Information and Communications -- Doctrine, Tactics, Management, and Behavioral Knowledge Development and Training -- Facility Operations and Population Services -- Person-Worn Equipment and Weapons/Force -- Conclusion -- Chapter 4. From Courts Today to Courts Tomorrow: Identifying and Prioritizing Innovation Needs in Technology, Policy, and Practice -- The Courts Advisory Panel Process : Identifying Innovation Needs -- Prioritizing Innovation Needs -- Toward an Innovation Agenda for the U.S. Court System: Considering the Identified Needs as a Whole -- Identifying Priority Needs to Focus the Innovation Agenda -- Chapter 5. Conclusions: An Innovation Agenda Focused on Information and Communications Tools and Practices -- An Agenda Driven More by Adopting Existing Tools and Practices Than Developing New Ones -- Fostering Innovation in the U.S. Court System -- APPENDIXES -- References.
Summary:
"Society relies on the judicial system to play numerous roles. It is the link between law enforcement and the corrections system and serves as a check on their power over citizens. It also adjudicates civil disputes, serving as a venue for negotiation and resolution of various problems. In playing these roles, courts today are challenged by a wide range of issues, such as high caseloads, resource constraints, disparities in justice outcomes, and increasing needs to share information. For the courts to adapt to these challenges and take advantage of new opportunities to improve their ability to play their critical roles, the court system needs innovation. This report draws on published literature and new structured deliberations of a practitioner Courts Advisory Panel to frame an innovation agenda. It identifies and prioritizes potential improvements in technology, policy, and practice for the court system. Some of the top-tier needs identified by the panel and researchers include developing better tools to sort cases and match them with the process most likely to get them to an outcome efficiently and effectively, defining strategies and minimum standards for protecting the "virtual filing cabinets" that hold the court's formal records, and expanding the court-related transactions and interactions that could be done from a distance over the Internet. Such high-priority needs provide a menu of innovation options for addressing key problems or capitalizing on emerging opportunities for the court system. This report is part of a larger effort to assess and prioritize technology and related needs across the criminal justice community for the National Institute of Justice's National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center system" -- Publisher's description.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.