Court Delays Reduced Thanks to Trial
A new system that streamlines court processes is set to reduce delays with the legal system, following a successful pilot in the Ballarat and Heidelberg Magistrates’ Courts.
Deputy Premier and Attorney-General Rob Hulls said changes to police work and briefing practices led to a reduction in the time to bring matters to court from an average of 210 days to 32 days and the number of contest mention hearings decreased from 40 to six a week.
Bringing cases to court faster will also have a big impact on victims of crime, helping to reduce their trauma and the time spent waiting for a case to be heard.
Following the successful pilot scheme, the new processes will be rolled out in all Magistrates’ Courts from October.
The changes are part of the implementation of the Criminal Procedure Act 2009, which passed Parliament in February and was part of the most significant overhaul of Victorian criminal procedure in the past 100 years.
The changes are part of the Victorian Government’s reform of criminal procedures that aim to ensure the justice system is efficient and modern by:
- ensuring better case management processes
- getting cases to court more quickly
- reducing court delays
- reducing trauma for victims of crime
- encouraging early resolution.
Under the pilot at the Ballarat and Heidelberg Magistrates’ Courts, Victoria Police has also been testing new ways of preparing cases to cut the paperwork and time it takes to prepare prosecutions.
Other changes involve:
- police filing charges sooner following the detection of an offence
- preliminary briefs providing for early disclosure of information about the police case to help an accused make a decision about how to plead
- mandatory summary case conferences being held ‘out of court’ between the prosecution and the accused before a case can be listed for hearing or mention, leading to earlier resolution of cases.