Effective and Efficient Criminal Trial Processes
Why is this a priority?
Effective and efficient justice services contribute to holding offenders to account, and ensure that the justice sector is responsive to addressing crime.
Demand for justice services is growing due to public expectations of responsiveness, and population change:
- The projected growth in New Zealand's population is not expected to occur evenly across the country. Relative to other areas, the rate of growth north of Taupo, mainly in the Auckland area, is particularly high. There is an increase in demand for services in the Auckland area.
- Additionally, growth in the ‘convictions-critical’ 15 to 39 age group is projected to occur in Auckland. Agencies providing services to offenders and victims of criminal offences will need to be able to meet the projected increased demand.
Disposal rates for both summary jurisdiction and jury trials have continued to improve but have been outpaced by the volumes of new business in both jurisdictions, and this has resulted in the number of cases on hand growing.
In addition, any increased delays in courts can affect numbers of people in remand cells. There has been sustained growth in the length of remand over the past ten years.
Courts have increased in efficiencyFigure 5 - District Court: criminal summary throughput
Since 1998, new business in the summary jurisdiction has increased by 32%. Disposals largely kept up with new business. In 2006/2007, 75 percent of cases within the criminal summary jurisdiction of the District Court were resolved within 12 weeks.The ability to continue to achieve the efficiency gains is getting more difficult with growth in new business beginning to run ahead of disposals.
The number of cases on hand in the High Court has also grown:
Figure 7 - High Court: jury trials on hand 1999-2007
The number of jury trials in the District Court have grown:
Figure 6 - District Court: jury trial throughput
The number of District Court criminal jury trials increased 36%, but the number of cases on hand has grown by 56%. Sitting hours, and disposal rates in the High Court have been relatively stable, but the number of cases on hand in High Court jury trials has seen a significant growth in the last two years. This is largely driven by methamphetamine cases.
How will the sector demonstrate its success?
Monitoring will be undertaken of key measures, including active cases on hand, and summary throughput:
Figure 8 - Criminal summary throughput, rolling 12-month totals
