Overview

Courts in every state and at every level in the Nation are facing problems of increasing complexity and variety. The Center for Court Solutions (CCS), sponsored by the State Justice Institute and administered by the National Center for State Courts and the Center for Effective Public Policy, was created to provide information and assistance to courts nationwide as they address key problems. One aspect of the Center for Court Solutions is its partner court initiative.

The Partner Court Initiative is based on the premise that truly effective Solutions to key problems facing the court

• Require careful problem analysis and a clear understanding of current practices, policies, and resources;
• Should be based upon the best available empirical research and an understanding of best practices;
• Will require the collaboration of key stakeholders both within the court and beyond the court to guide the effort; and
• Depend upon committed leadership and a clear articulation of desired outcomes.

Selected Partner Courts: The following courts competed successfully to be selected as Partner Courts:

Project Activities: Each Partner court engaged in a structured problem identification and solution process including:

• Forming a multidisciplinary court-based change team to guide the work
• Conducting a thorough consideration of both the problems faced by the court and desired outcomes
• Reviewing best practices and lessons from the research,
• Analyzing current practice, policy, and the environment in which the problem exists;
• Considering the input of expert consultants in the issue area;
• identifying targets of change, and
• Developing and executing an implementation plan

Project Support: Each Partner Court worked over the course of the project period with a partner court site coordinator who guided and provided support for a court-based team. Each court focused on one of the priority issues identified by the Center for Court Solutions and serves as a “laboratory” to increase knowledge about specific solutions and their implementation, and to identify promising practices.

To view the summaries which highlight the issues, strategies, progress, and lessons from each of the Partner courts, click on the key problem area or the title of the court in the table above.

* The Family and Juvenile Court, 14th Judicial District of Louisiana was selected and began working with the Partner Court Initiative. After a promising beginning to the effort, and with great reluctance, the court elected to step back from the project to focus its attention on restoring normal operations after the disruptions caused by Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005.