NCJ Number
102932
Date Published
1985
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This executive summary of a policy study of Victoria's (Australia) court system examines the current state of the magistrtes' courts, identifies major problems due to the courts' failure to adapt to changing needs, and proposes strategies for change.
Abstract
In their current state, magistrates' courts have not adapted to meet community needs and are largely perceived by the public as de facto welfare agencies. Courts lack control over hearing scheduling, are not sufficiently accessible to the community, operate in isolation from one another, and function in outdated and inefficient facilities. There is a need to improve staff morale and training as well as to redefine the clerk's role to provide more attractive career opportunities. Although significant formal and informal links between court services and the community have developed, these have not been systematically planned nor made statewide. The attorney general proposes to regionalize the organization and operation of magistrates' courts, with the four regions generally being aggregations of State administrative regions. An additional proposal advocates that court clerks visit 91 courts in rural Victoria to provide needed court services. Courts would be classified according to primary function, producing a hierarchy of regional headquarters courts, multijurisdictional courts, mention courts, and hearing courts. Existing court facilities will be retained, but future court buildings will be constructed according to set priorities. Questions are provided to facilitate communities' comments on the proposals.