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EFFECT OF CASE WEIGHTS ON PERCEIVED COURT WORKLAOD

NCJ Number
42210
Journal
Justice System Journal Volume: 2/3 Dated: (SPRING 1977) Pages: 270-282
Author(s)
D P DOANE
Date Published
1977
Length
13 pages
Annotation
THE ARTICLE IS CONCERNED WITH THE CASE WEIGHTING TECHNIQUE, WHICH IS EMPLOYED TO ADJUST CASE VOLUMES TO REFLECT THE DIFFERING TIME OR RESOURCE DEMANDS IMPOSED BY VARIOUS TYPES OF CASES.
Abstract
FOLLOWING AN EXPLANATION OF CASE WEIGHTS AND THEIR USES, CASE WEIGHTS ARE EXPERIMENTALLY APPLIED TO MICHIGAN STATE CIRCUIT COURT CASE DISPOSITION STATISTICS FOR THE YEARS 1971-73. HYPOTHESES ARE FORMULATED ABOUT THE TYPES OF CIRCUITS WHICH WILL TEND TO RISE OR DECLINE IN PERCEIVED WORKLOAD WHEN WEIGHTED CASE DISPOSITIONS ARE CALCULATED, KEEPING STATE TOTALS CONSTANT. IT IS FOUND THAT SMALLER, LOW-WORKLOAD CIRCUITS APPEAR MORE 'PRODUCTIVE' WHEN CASE WEIGHTS ARE APPLIED. LARGER, HIGH-WORKLOAD CIRCUITS GENERALLY REMAIN UNCHANGED OR HAVE SLIGHT REDUCTIONS IN PERCEIVED CASE DISPOSITIONS. THUS, CASE WEIGHTS ARE SEEN AS A SYSTEMATIC REDISTRIBUTIVE MECHANISM WHICH TENDS TO EQUALIZE PERCEIVED PER-JUDGE CASELOADS AMONG CIRCUITS, ALTHOUGH SUBSTANTIAL VARIATION REMAINS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)...KAP

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