This measure
is a logical extension of Measure 1.1.1. If an observer has physical access
to a courtroom but cannot identify which proceeding is underway, public
access is compromised. The measure examines whether an observer can obtain
information about the status of specific court proceedings on the court’s
calendar.
Planning/Preparation.
This measure can use the same sample of court proceedings that was drawn for
Measure 1.1.1, Access to Open Hearings. The method for selecting the sample
of court proceedings is described in the planning/preparation section of
Measure 1.1.1.
Data
Collection.
After following the data collection procedure described for Measure 1.1.1,
the observer tries to determine when a specific court event will be heard.
For each court event, the observer records (see Form
1.1.2, Tracking Court Proceedings) how he or she determined the status
of the event (e.g., saw it take place or asked a court official) and any
difficulties encountered during the process.
Data Analysis
and Report Preparation. If
the observers were able to identify the status of each scheduled court
event, the court is performing well on this measure. If the observers were
unable to determine the status of one or more court events, court officials
should review the types of court events that could not be tracked. Are there
any patterns in the data? For example, did most of the problems occur with
court events that did not have specific start times? In order to improve the
court’s performance on this measure, court officials should examine
observers’ reports of difficulties they encountered during the data
collection process and suggestions for improving the dissemination of
information regarding the status of specific proceedings (e.g., provide
periodic reviews of the calendar or post the calendar in the courtroom and
update it as matters are heard or rescheduled).
