This is a measure of the audibility of proceedings when court is in session. Observers collect qualitative data regarding the audibility of judges, attorneys, litigants, witnesses, and other court participants during court proceedings.

Planning/Preparation. The first step in applying this measure is selecting a sample of court proceedings. A subset of the sample of court proceedings drawn for Measure 1.1.1, Access to Open Hearings, may be used for this measure. The method for selecting the sample for Measure 1.1.1 is described in the planning/preparation section of that measure. From this sample, at lease five court proceedings are selected to be observed for audibility.⁶ The sample should be stratified by courtroom to ensure that proceedings are observed in several different courtrooms. (Smaller courts may prefer to test all of their courtrooms.)

The second step is the identification and recruitment of observers with normal hearing. The observers may be volunteers or court employees.

Data Collection. Data Collection. An observer with normal hearing attends each of the selected court proceedings and sits for approximately 5 minutes on each side of the courtroom’s public seating. The time spent in the courtroom may need to be extended if the observer only had the opportunity to hear one or two of the court participants speak.

After observing each court proceeding, the observer should answer the questions on Form 1.1.3, Courtroom Audibility Evaluation Form, and record any specific acoustic and human speech factors that seemed to affect audibility in the courtroom. This qualitative information will help court officials identify factors that may be contributing to poor audibility in the courtroom.

Data Analysis and Report Preparation. A report should be prepared that compiles and synthesizes the results of the qualitative evaluations by the observers in the various courtrooms. If audibility is a problem, the report should address whether the problem is common across courtrooms and types of proceedings or generally limited to one courtroom or one type of proceeding.

The report should be disseminated to the court administrator and other appropriate court officials. If a problem exists across all courtrooms, court officials should consider contacting a sound engineer for suggestions. Other problems may be alleviated by making minor changes in a courtroom’s environment or by developing and enforcing administrative rules related to courtroom audibility.