Master Calendaring of Felony Cases

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2010

The Superior Court of Arizona in Maricopa County is the fifth largest trial court in the United States. The Criminal Department of the Court receives between 35,000 and 40,000 new felony filings each year, which is almost a 60% increase over the previous decade. To address that explosive growth of cases using a similar number of judges assigned required Court leadership to re-engineer the Criminal Department. After researching other courts throughout the United States and speaking with national court experts, Court leadership decided on a methodology for handling cases known as Master Calendaring. Piloted in December of 2008 and implemented for most felony cases in 2009, Master Calendaring has increased the efficiency of the Court by reducing the time it takes for cases to terminate, improving the predictability of trial starts for victims, lawyers, witnesses, and the Court, and by requiring fewer jurors to report to Court. This program can be replicated for little or no capital cost by other jurisdictions who are seeking greater efficiencies and reduced costs. This program is an excellent example of re-engineering to improve the administration of justice and cost effectiveness in this County.