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Delay on Appeal: A Process for Identifying Causes and Cures

NCJ Number
126560
Author(s)
R M Novak; D K Somerlot
Date Published
1990
Length
220 pages
Annotation
This book provides a step-by-step guide for instituting an appellate delay-reduction program, based on pilot programs in five intermediate appellate courts in California, Connecticut, Louisiana, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Abstract
The proposed process draws on program-development methods and management techniques presented in the American Bar Association's Appellate Delay Reduction Standards. The first step in delay reduction is to identify conditions in the case-processing system that cause problems. This book describes how information can be obtained and how it should be used to disclose areas of current or potential delay. The book then provides guidance on designing a program that addresses the identified problems. Some of the techniques highlighted in program design are court control of case movement, deadlines for the completion of events in the appellate process, and monitoring of the caseflow against established time requirements. Methods of eliminating backlog and delay are also discussed. A discussion of program implementation considers such issues as planning, the assembling of resources, the education of court personnel and the bar, timing, and evaluation techniques. Appended forms and standards and a 36-item bibliography