NCJ Number
50811
Date Published
1975
Length
86 pages
Annotation
THE RESULTS OF A 1975 SURVEY OF PERSONNEL AND FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF THE COURT SYSTEM IN THE STATE OF KANSAS AND CERTAIN COURT SERVICES AND WORKLOAD CONDITIONS ARE PRESENTED.
Abstract
THERE ARE EIGHT DIFFERENT COURTS OF ORIGINAL PROCEEDINGS IN KANSAS: DISTRICT, PROBATE, JUVENILE, COUNTY, MAGISTRATE, CITY, COMMON PLEAS, AND MUNICIPAL COURTS. COURT-RELATED SERVICES INVOLVE ADULT PROBATION, JUVENILE PROBATION, JUVENILE DETENTION, THE COURT TRUSTEE PROGRAM, AND THE UNIFIED COURT SERVICES PROGRAM FUNDED BY THE LEAA IN ONE COUNTY. PERSONNEL DATA WERE COLLECTED PRIMARILY BY MEANS OF QUESTIONNAIRES MAILED TO EACH COURT LOCATION THROUGHOUT THE STATE. THERE WERE TWO SEPARATE COLLECTION EFFORTS, THE FIRST DIRECTED TOWARD COURTS OF LIMITED JURISDICTION AND THE SECOND TOWARD ALL KNOWN MUNICIPAL COURTS. SIX TYPES OF INFORMATION WERE REQUESTED: NAME OF EMPLOYEE, SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, PART-TIME OR FULL-TIME STATUS, NUMBER OF HOURS WORKED PER WEEK, POSITION TITLE, AND ANNUAL SALARY. ALL COURTS OF LIMITED JURISDICTION RESPONDED, AND 60 PERCENT OF THE MUNICIPAL COURTS RESPONDED. TELEPHONE CONTACTS WERE NEEDED IN MANY CASES TO OBTAIN MISSING INFORMATION OR TO CLARIFY THE INFORMATION RECEIVED. DATA OBTAINED FROM THE QUESTIONNAIRES WERE COMPUTERIZED TO GIVE A COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF THE PERSONNEL INVOLVED IN THE STATE JUDICIAL SYSTEM. THE FINAL COMPUTER PRINTOUT INDICATED THAT 2,324 INDIVIDUALS WERE EMPLOYED IN THE COURT SYSTEM OR INVOLVED IN COURT-RELATED SERVICES IN 1975. THE TOTAL ANNUAL REVENUE OF THE COURT SYSTEM WAS APPROXIMATELY $9.2 MILLION. OVER HALF OF THIS AMOUNT WAS OBTAINED THROUGH COSTS, FEES, AND OTHER REVENUES TRANSMITTED TO COUNTY TREASURERS. IN ADDITION, MUNICIPAL COURTS PRODUCED $5.2 MILLION IN REVENUE SO THAT ALL COURTS, STATE AND MUNICIPAL, PRODUCED AN ANNUAL REVENUE OF ABOUT $14.4 MILLION. EXPENDITURES FOR FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT SALARIES WERE AS FOLLOWS: SUPREME COURT AND ADMINISTRATIVE, $18,167; DISTRICT COURTS, $10,466; COURTS OF LIMITED JURISDICTION, $8,224; AND COURT-RELATED SERVICES, $7,172. THE OVERALL AVERAGE SALARY WAS $9,123. CLERICAL AND PROBATIONARY SALARIES WERE ABOUT 15 PERCENT BELOW THE STATE EXECUTIVE BRANCH COMPENSATION PLAN FOR SIMILAR POSITIONS. FRINGE BENEFITS COST SLIGHTLY MORE THAN $2.5 MILLION FOR THE ENTIRE STATE COURT SYSTEM. DETAILED REVENUE AND EXPENDITURE DATA FOR MUNICIPAL COURTS ARE PRESENTED, AND ALTERNATIVES TO STATE FUNDING OF COURTS ARE DISCUSSED. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON COURT EMPLOYEES AND SALARIES BY LOCATION AND PROGRAM IS APPENDED. (DEP)