Justice Reform

The judicial perspective

Topics

• Common ground

• Managing change

• Budgets

• Four lessons

• Surprises

Supreme Court

19 District Courts

5 Appeal Courts

Central AppealsCouncil

Netherlands:  

Zwolle

Almelo

Zutphen

Groningen

Assen

Alkmaar

Haarlem

Utrecht

Rotterdam

Dordrecht

Middelburg

Maastricht

RoermondBreda

‘s-Gravenhage

Arnhem

Leeuwarden

Amsterdam

‘s-Hertogenbosch

62 local courts!Council of State

Staff

• 2200 judges

• 1177 men 1023 women

• 5839 court staff

• 461 staff in national services

•Source: Judicial Council Annual Report 2004

Rotterdam Criminal Court

Amsterdam Police Court

• University law degree• Judicial training – 6 years in

house and courses• 1987 Judge district court • 1993 local court Amsterdam• 1998 Program manager for IT

policy• Civil chamber, Court of Appeals

My Legal Career as Example

What do we agree on?

Reasons:

• Growing caseload

• Development in technology

• Increasing political interest

• International developments

• Outcomes: Council, budget

0

200000

400000

600000

800000

1000000

1200000

1400000

1600000

1800000

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

filed disposed

Cases filed and disposed

Other Issues

• Governance

• Change management

• Transparency

• Case handling

• External relations

Governance old Model

Judges

Minister of JusticePresidents’ Assembly

Court Staff

Court Director Court President

Court Improvement Program

• Case handling

• Court management

• Governance

• External relations

Improving Courts: Methodology

1 Program20 Project

teamsJudiciary ledMulti

disciplinary

Improving Courts: philosophy

• Cooperation

• Support

• Knowledge based

• Not bureaucratic

Improving Courts: Results

LegislationGovernanceWeb kioskQuality systemRaised awareness

Improving Courts: Outcomes

Court Management

Judicial Councilwww.rechtspraak.

nlQuality systemCritical mass of

change managers

Court management and budgets

• More than 20 years of discussion

• Judiciary: No independence without budget

• Judicial council budgeting authority

• Courts get budget based on number of cases disposed

Integral Management

Judges and Court Staff

Court Board

President, Sector Presidents, Court Director

Minister of Justice(Presidents’ Assembly)

Council for the Judiciary

Court Budgeting

• Open system: cases filed uncertain

• Budget based on cases disposed x price

• Case price based on standards

• Undefended small claim: € 15

• Estimated number disposed before

• Actual number disposed - recalculation

Meet the Judicial Council

•5 - full time •3 judges•2 non judiciary•6 year term•renewable

• Mission: Improving societal quality of judicial organization• Policy • External relations• Budget• Advisory• Change management

Meet the Judicial Council

Civil

Aligning Reform in Coherent Programs

Criminal Admin

IT Program

Legislative advice

Lesson: Money Counts

• Need for good statistics

• Keep checking

• 1992-2002

• Good for transparency

• And for productivity

• But quality control is needed!!!

Lesson: Quality Matters

Measuring judicial quality

Different instruments

• Statistics

• Surveys

• Auditing

Lesson: Strange Effects

4 examples• Government commitment • Local courts• IT as catalyst for change • Everybody wants

computers

• Agendas • Allies• Changing minds• Critical mass• Ownership

Lesson: People Matter Most