COST ANALYSIS OF COURT SYSTEMS - A CASE STUDY

• NCJ Number: 44900
• Journal: State Court Journal Volume: 2 Issue: 1 Dated: (WINTER 1978) Pages: 13-20
• Author(s): J M PARKISON; S G BUCKLES
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 8 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Missouri Council on Criminal Justice
• Corporate Author: National Ctr for State Courts
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

A COST ANALYSIS OF THE MISSOURI CIRCUIT COURTS, PERFORMED AS PART OF AN APPLICATION OF THE PLANNING-PROGRAMMING-BUDGETING SYSTEM (PPBS) MODEL, IS DOCUMENTED.

Abstract

THE STUDY REPRESENTED AN ATTEMPT TO DEFINE ACCURATELY THE OBJECTIVES OF THE CIRCUIT COURT SYSTEM AND TO IDENTIFY ITS OUTPUT AND REQUIRED RESOURCES. THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE COURT WAS QUANTIFIED AS THE NUMBER OF DISPOSED CASES IN SPECIFIC CASE CATEGORIES. AN OVERALL MEASURE OF PRODUCTIVITY WAS OBTAINED BY WEIGHTING INDIVIDUAL CASE TYPES WITH ESTIMATES OF THE AVERAGE AMOUNT OF JUDGE'S TIME REQUIRED TO PROCESS EACH CASE TYPE. INCLUDED IN THE ANALYSIS WERE IDENTIFIABLE COSTS RELATING TO THE OPERATION OF THE COURT SYSTEM, INCLUDING PAYMENTS TO JURIES AND SALARIES FOR JUDGES, CIRCUIT CLERK PERSONNEL, COURT REPORTERS, AND JUVENILE OFFICERS, AND COSTS OF SUPPLIES, EQUIPMENT, OPERATION, AND TRAVEL. DATA-GATHERING DIFFICULTIES PRECLUDED THE ANALYSIS OF FACILITY, OFFICE SPACE, AND CERTAIN OTHER COSTS. CASE DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM CIRCUIT COURT ANNUAL REPORTS TO THE STATE COURT ADMINISTRATOR'S OFFICE. COST DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM STATE FINANCIAL RECORDS, FROM STATE AUDITOR'S OFFICE RECORDS ON COUNTY EXPENDITURES, AND FROM COUNTY RECORDS. ANALYSIS OF COST ALLOCATION DATA SHOWS THAT COST DIFFERENCES AMONG CASES OF DIFFERENT TYPES ARISE AS DIFFERENT METHODS AND DIFFERENT AMOUNTS OF RESOURCES ARE USED TO DISPOSE OF THE CASES. CIVIL CASES USE THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE COURTS' RESOURCES. AMONG COST CATEGORIES, THE CIRCUIT CLERK'S OFFICE IS THE PRIMARY USER OF RESOURCES. COSTS PER CASE DIFFER NOT ONLY AMONG CASE TYPES, BUT ALSO AMONG COURTS. THERE IS A TENDENCY FOR JUDGES IN LARGER COURTS TO DISPOSE OF CASES MORE EFFICIENTLY. THE RESULTS OF REGRESSION ANALYSIS INDICATE THAT CAPACITY UTILIZATION, NUMBERS OF JUDGES IN A COURT, AND GEOGRAPHICAL SIZE OF THE JURISDICTION ARE IMPORTANT FACTORS IN DETERMINING AVERAGE COSTS. SUCH RESULTS CAN BE USED TO PREDICT THE COST AND PRODUCTIVITY EFFECTS OF CREATING NEW JUDICIAL POSITIONS, CHANGING JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES, AND HANDLING INCREASED FILINGS. FURTHER IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED.