Several
measures in this document require information to be collected by volunteers
who are unfamiliar with court facilities and procedures. For this measure,
volunteers are given a survey questionnaire on the ease of conducting
business with the court at the end of their first observation day in
the courthouse. The survey questionnaire is basically the same as that used
in Measure 1.2.6.
Planning/Preparation.
The questionnaire used for Measure 1.2.6 (Form
1.2.6–1.2.7, Accessibility and Convenience of the Court) should be
reviewed and modified, as necessary, for the volunteer observers group.
Data
Collection. The
observers are given a questionnaire at the conclusion of their first day of
simulated business in the courthouse. They are asked to return it when they
make their next observation for one of the measures. This procedure should
apply to all observers who visit the courthouse during the evaluation
process (not just those collecting data for measures in the Access to
Justice performance area of the survey).
Data
Analysis and Report Preparation.
The basic analyses are the same as those discussed in the data collection
section of Measure 1.2.6. In addition, the responses of the volunteer
observers can be compared to those of the "regular users" who were
surveyed for Measure 1.2.6. How do the percentages differ? For example, do
regular users tend to report that finding a restroom or telephone is easy,
while the volunteer observers report that it is difficult? If so, perhaps
the directional signs in the courthouse could be improved to better
accommodate the needs of a stranger. The court may also get suggestions for
how to improve its accessibility to strangers by conducting
"debriefing" interviews with the volunteer observers once the
observers have completed the questionnaire.
