Daily Briefs . . .

Major survey confirms public is satisfied with Third Circuit Court


For the third year in a row, court users say they are satisfied with their experiences in Third Circuit Court. Using a survey that was administered in courts statewide, Third Circuit Court asked court users questions about their level of satisfaction with court services. Across the board, court users said that Third Circuit Court was accessible, timely, fair, and that they were treated with courtesy and respect.

“Public input is vitally important because court users can help us make critical management decisions to improve the efficiency of court operations,” said Chief Judge Robert J. Colombo, Jr. “The elimination of paper continued to be an objective of the Court. Electronic processing of payment for attorneys representing indigent defendants was implemented in the Criminal Division. The Criminal Division also worked with the Michigan Assigned Appellate Counsel System and is in the process of creating a system of electronic dissemination of the record and file to assigned counsel and the Court of Appeals. The process began for implementing electronic movement of Friend of the Court referees’ recommendations to the assigned judge for electronic signature. We depend on a wide range of performance measures to help us boost efficiency and improve service to the public. Getting positive marks for three years in a row shows how hard our team is working at Third Circuit Court.”

The Third Circuit Court is the largest trial court in the state and one of the busiest in the nation, handling more than 65,000 cases annually in 2014 and 2015. Highlights from the survey include:

• 85 percent of court users said they were treated with courtesy and respect by court staff.

• 71 percent of court users said the way the judge or magistrate handled their case was fair.

• 74 percent of courts users were able to get their business done in a reasonable amount of time.

The Third Circuit Court is comprised of the Family-Juvenile Division located at Lincoln Juvenile Hall, the Family-Domestic Relations Division and Civil Division located at the Coleman A. Young Municipal Center, the Criminal Division located at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice, and the Friend of the Court located in the Penobscot Building. Public satisfaction is a critical measure of the success of all court divisions. Developed with input from judges and court administrators statewide and tabulated by the State Court Administrative Office, the survey enables courts to identify strengths, provide positive feedback to employees, and target areas for improvement.

The survey was completed by a range of court users, including parties to cases, attorneys, jurors, and others.

The public satisfaction survey is part of a statewide initiative of the Michigan Supreme Court and the State Court Administrative Office to measure and report on court performance. In 2013 and 2014, a total of nearly 50,000 surveys were completed in courts throughout Michigan. Visit www.courts.mi.gov for more information.
 

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