Exploring Court Reengineering at the State Level: NCSC Releases Future Trends in State Courts 2010

Court reengineering is the central theme of Future Trends in State Courts 2010. From the Preface by Mary Campbell McQueen, President, National Center for State Courts:

“How Courts Are Weathering the Economic Storm” was the major theme of last year’s edition of Future Trends in State Courts. Unfortunately, the economic storm, while slowly abating, will continue to disrupt court operations for the near future. The National Center for State Courts closely monitors the economy’s effects on the administration of justice. So far, courts have taken all the usual steps for coping with reduced budgets in the short term, such as furloughing or reducing staff, shortening operational hours, and even closing some courthouses entirely. In the past, these and other actions have helped courts to survive.

Unfortunately, “coping and hoping” are simply not enough. Courts must make a commitment to examining and changing the ways they do business—and demonstrate this commitment to the public, as well as the other two branches of government. Future Trends in State Courts 2010 is a logical extension of last year’s edition, going beyond budgets and into reengineering court operations to improve their service to the public at a lower cost over the long term.

The press release adds

In an ongoing effort to help the nation’s courts weather the current economic storm and prepare for an uncertain financial future, NCSC either has worked with or is currently working with 10 states to reengineer their court systems, and the experiences of seven of those states — Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Oregon, Utah, and Vermont — are outlined in Future Trends 2010. Additional articles explore areas examined during the court reengineering process, including court culture, specialty courts, e-filing, and social-networking tools.

[JH]