OCA CIRCULAR NO. 12-2002, June 03, 2002

1. 1. Access to justice;
2. Expedition and timeliness;
3. Equality, fairness and integrity;
4. Independence and accountability; and
5. Public trust and confidence.

1. Presiding judges should conduct regular monthly meetings (at
   least once a month) with their court personnel on the last working day.
   Minutes of the monthly meeting shall be prepared by the assigned
   Recorder-Secretary, a copy of which shall be submitted to the Office of
   the Court Administrator.

2. The first staff meeting pursuant to this issuance shall be
   called during any week of June 2002. At said meeting, the members of the
   JST shall as a group accomplish the “Court Performance Inventory” form ^[2]
   (Annex “A”). A copy of the accomplished “Court Performance Inventory”
   form shall be sent to the Court Management Office, Office of the Court
   Administrator, within ten (10 ) days after the staff meeting.
   Thereafter, the inventory forms shall be accomplished every quarter.

3. After responding to the “Court Performance Inventory” form, the
   JST shall discuss the issues/problems in the areas which are rated
   lowest and the measures proposed measures which would require
   intervention or action by the Court Administrator of the Supreme Court
   shall be sent to the Court Administrator through the Court Action Plan
   (CAP) (Annex “B”). The JST shall carry out those measures which can be
   implemented at the court level.

1. Jail visitation
2. Review of the status of cases and case flow charts;
3. Preparation of decisions and monitoring of deadlines;
4. Submission of reports pursuant to Administrative Circular No.
   1-2001 dated January 2, 2001 (List of case filed/raffled, disposed,
   archived, transferred/raffled, and with suspended proceedings) and
   Administrative Circular No. 61-2001 dated December 10, 2001 (Revised SC
   Form No. 1, Monthly Report of Cases);

5. Submission of financial reports (Fiduciary Funds and JDF) and forfeited bonds;
6. Determination of clearance rates;
7. Submission of semestral inventory cases;
8. Submission of inventory of equipment and office supplies; and
9. Problems of the court branch.

5. The JST shall monitor changes in their assessment of their
   court’s performance; review measures implemented to address
   issues/problems; and formulate and carry out new measures to resolve new
   issues/problems.

1. An observer sitting in the courtroom’s public seating are will
   have no difficulty hearing judges, attorneys, litigants, witnesses, and
   other participants in the proceeding.

2. The total eclipsed time it takes the court to dispose of cases
   once they are filed complies with standards provided by the Supreme
   Court or by law.

3. The court’s records of cases (such a transcripts of stenographic
   notes, pleadings, evidence, etc.) are not susceptible to tampering.

4. The allocation of personnel resources among case types is defensible and based upon logic and reason.
5. the legal public (a) perceives the trial court and the justice
   it delivers as accessible; (b) has trust and confidence that basic trial
   functions are conducted expeditiously and fairly and that the court’s
   decisions have integrity; and (c) knows that the trial court is
   independent, accountable, and not unduly influenced by the government
   components.

6. An undercover lower enforcement official, dressed in plain
   clothes, will not be able to breach either the court’s security system
   that protect the public or confidential court files and records.

7. An examination of court financial records will reveal that the
   various types of funds for which the court is responsible are disbursed
   in a timely manner.

8. An examination of relevant case file documents and court records
   will reveal that the court closely adheres to key legal requirements.

9. An analysis of the court’s hiring practices would reveal that the court closely adheres to key legal requirements.
10. Justice system representatives, i.e., prosecutors, PAO
    lawyers, police, officers, etc. (a) perceive the trial court and the
    justice it delivers as accessible, (b) has trust and confidence that
    basic trial functions are conducted expeditiously and fairly and that
    the court’s decisions have integrity; and (c) knows that the trial court
    is independent, accountable, and not unduly influenced by other
    government components.

11. Interpreter services provided by the court are performed by
    individuals with language proficiency, interpreting skill, and knowledge
    of professional conduct.

27. The court promptly implements changes in administrative
    procedures required by the Supreme Court directly or through the Office
    of the Court Administrator.

28. The court does a good job of communicating clearly the terms and conditions of criminal sentences.
29. The court’s responses to proper requests for information from the media are accurate and timely.
30. The results of a survey of regular court users, court users,
    court employees, and attorneys are likely to conclude that judges and
    other trial court personnel are courteous and responsive to the public
    and all others with whom they come into contact.

31. A person who attempts to determine the specific time and
    location of a particular court event will have no difficulty getting
    this information from the court by telephone.

32. Cases scheduled for trial are heard on this first scheduled trial date.
33. The court is well-positioned and organized to enforce or facilitate the enforcement of its orders and judgments.
34. A group of knowledgeable individuals is likely to conclude that court personnel practices and decisions are fair.
35. Citizens are likely to report that access to court services is
    generally not hindered because of costs or complexity of procedures.

36. Persons with physical disabilities are able to conduct transitions in the court with relative ease.
37. The various services available from the court (such as indigent
    defense services, interpreter services, and mental health evaluations)
    are provided promptly.

38. A test of the timely retrieval of individual case files will
    reveal that the court’s file control system is reliable and efficient.

39. The court has adequate statistical reporting capacity to make
    useful use assessment of the relationship between the court’s workload
    and the distribution of court resources.

40. Lawyers who have appeared regularly in the court in the past
    year would assess that the court’s actions and decisions are fair and
    equitable.

41. Court observes are likely to find that litigants are treated
    with a high degree of courtesy and individual respect by judges of the
    court.

42. The number of pending cases exceeding national time standards for case processing is low.
43. The court clearly states the terms and conditions of obligations imposed as a result of adjudication of a civil dispute.
44. Court employees and the public are likely to be satisfied with
    policies and practices for responding to requests for information.

COURT PERFORMANCE INVENTORY RESPONSE FORM

DIRECTIONS: For each performance area, place a dot next to the
total number of X’s recorded on response form. For example, if the total
number of X’s in the Access to Justice column on the response from is
3, place a dot next to the line 3 in the first column of the graph. When
the total score for each of the five areas has been recorded on the
graph, connect the five dots, starting with the dot in the first column
and ending with the dot in the fifth column. The lines will depict which
areas are rated highest and which are rated lowest. The results can be
used to compare perceptions of court performance across court officials
and staff and to initiate discussion regarding priorities for targeting
improved efforts.