NCJ Number
43360
Date Published
1977
Length
160 pages
Annotation
THIS REPORT BEGINS WITH A STATE-OF-THE-ART REVIEW OF CURRENT COURT WATCHING PROJECTS, DISCUSSING THEIR BROAD RANGE OF GOALS, OBJECTIVES, AND DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS. SEVERAL PROJECTS ARE SUMMARIZED.
Abstract
CITIZEN COURT WATCHING EFFORTS HAVE PROLIFERATED WITH THE RECENT TREND TOWARD OPEN GOVERNMENT AND DECISIONMAKING AT ALL LEVELS. BY OBSERVING A COURT'S PROCEEDINGS ON A REGULAR BASIS FOR A SPECIFIED PERIOD OF TIME, TRAINED COURT MONITORS ARE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE AND DOCUMENT INADEQUACIES AND TO PRESS FOR THEIR REMEDIATION. THEIR ACCOMPLISHMENTS RANGE FROM INSTALLING INFORMATION BOOTHS IN COURTHOUSE LOBBIES TO POSTING DAILY CALENDARS AND NOTICES OF DEFENDANTS' RIGHTS OUTSIDE COURTROOM DOORS, TO DEVELOPING STANDARDS FOR DETERMINING INDIGENCY FOR ASSIGNMENT OF PUBLIC DEFENDERS. TWO PARTICULARLY WELL-DOCUMENTED PROJECTS -- THE LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS' COURT WATCHING PROJECT IN ILLINOIS AND THE FAMILY COURT MONITORING PROJECT OF THE FUND FOR MODERN COURTS IN NEW YORK -- ARE DESCRIBED IN DETAIL, FOCUSING ON DEVELOPMENT, OPERATIONS, FINDINGS, AND RESULTS. SEVERAL OTHER PROJECTS ARE BRIEFLY SUMMARIZED. DRAWING ON THE SUCCESSES AND FAILURES OF THESE EXPERIMENTS IN COURT WATCHING, THE REVIEW TURNS TO A SYNTHESIS OF THE VARIOUS ELEMENTS NECESSARY TO A SUCCESSFUL CITIZEN EFFORT IN COURT IMPROVEMENT. AMONG THE ISSUES CONSIDERED ARE ESTABLISHING APPROPRIATE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES, RECRUITING AND TRAINING MONITORS, PROPER USE OF THE MEDIA, COMMUNICATIONS WITH THE JUDICIARY, AND EVALUATION. BY DEVELOPING A SUFFICIENTLY RIGOROUS PROGRAM OF OBSERVATION AND DOCUMENTATION, COURT WATCHERS CAN INSURE THAT THEIR FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS WILL WARRANT SERIOUS CONSIDERATION AND STAND UP TO JUDICIAL SCRUTINY. EXISTING PROJECTS AS WELL AS THOSE IN FORMATIVE STAGES CAN BENEFIT FROM UNDERSTANDING THE ISSUES AND SUGGESTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS DOCUMENT. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)