Pop Quiz: Lessons from Court Feedback
The questions and answers below are drawn from a range of local and national efforts to collect court staff and court user feedback.
These efforts include our 2022 #FairnessChallenge, where over 100 judges and court professionals came together to learn about court user feedback, and the 12-site pilot Court Voices Project.
(* correct answers bolded, plus relevant notes/citations)
1. Which element of procedural fairness do #Fairnesschallenge court staff/lawyers find most challenging?
Answer Choices:
Neutral decision-making
Respect
Trustworthy motives
Understanding
Voice*
* Read on: inviting feedback is a great way to give voice to staff and court users alike.
2. Which element of procedural fairness do #Fairnesschallenge judges find most challenging?
Answer Choices:
Neutral decision-making
Respect
Trustworthy motives
Understanding
Voice*
* No fibbing: same answer as the non-judicial staff. You’ve all come to the right place!
3. Do court professionals nationally think that access to justice has increased, decreased, or stayed the same?
Answer Choices:
Increased* (42% of court professionals responding)
Decreased
Stayed the same
* Surprised? Read more here: Thompson Reuters study surveying 240 professionals.
The Court Voices Project tackled similar questions in a survey of court professionals at our 12 pilot courts, including whether court staff felt like their ability to communicate with the public changed due to pandemic responses. Read our full “Staff Insights” report here.
4. Among pilot sites in the court voices project, what was the top reason court users prefer in-person hearings?
Answer Choices:
Convenience*
Ease of understanding
Efficiency/Speed
Helpful staff*
Other
* “Helpful staff” was the top answer from court users at the most number of pilot courts (3), but perhaps surprisingly, “Convenience” was the top choice at two pilot courts.
5. Among pilot sites in the court voices project, what % of in-person court users prefer in-person hearings over remote hearings?
Answer Choices:
~75%*
~50%*
~33%
~15%
*Actually, this question didn’t have a wrong answer at all! Each of these percentages were true for at least one pilot court in the Court Voices Project. We’ve noted the “50%” and “75%” responses as correct because each of those had two pilot courts for which those were the approximate percentages of in-person court users preferring in-person hearings, whereas the others were true for only one court.
6. Among pilot sites in the court voices project, what remote alternative do court users prefer most?
Answer Choices:
Video*
Phone
Email
*Again, this was a bit of a trick question. A majority of court users (~55%) at one court said their top choice for a remote alternative would be by phone. But the highest percentage of court users preferring a particular remote alternative was for video (~75%).
We think there are two big take-aways from these highlights.
Feedback is valuable!
Feedback varies! Averages can mask nuances that vary dramatically by user group, jurisdiction, context, etc.
In short, there’s no substitute for thoughtful, local feedback.
Click here to read the full Court User Feedback report.