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ANNUAL SERVICE PLAN REPORTS 2004/05
Ministry of Attorney General
Appendix A: Supplementary Performance Information
The performance measures that appear earlier in this report relate to specific activities conducted within separate core business
areas. Responsibility for this kind of performance measure and control over the results reside largely within each respective
business area.
However, within the provincial justice system, there are other broader measures of performance that do not fall exclusively
under the auspices of a single core business area. These other measures are treated as system indicators, and they differ
in several ways from performance measures.
System indicators summarize results of entire justice system processes (as opposed to distinct aspects of a process) and represent
the combined outcomes of responsibilities and accountabilities of two or more business areas, as well as of other participants
in the process such as the judiciary and the police. Although each separate business area and each participant contributes
to system indicators, no single business area or participant has sole responsibility for, or control over, such indicators,
or the ability to achieve targets single-handedly.
Shared responsibilities create shared challenges for performance measurement within a ministry that operates through discrete
branches. For example, criminal case processing is a significant component of the justice system. Improved case processing
efficiency is a desirable outcome that requires the combined activities and cooperation of Court Services, Prosecution Services,
Justice Services, the independent judiciary, defence bar and the police. If cases are not processed efficiently and are therefore
delayed, the associated costs can increase. Unacceptable delay in case processing can also be grounds for dismissing charges.
The three indicators shown below are used by the ministry to track and demonstrate case processing efficiency, but they are
not under the exclusive control or direction of a single business area or justice participant. The associated estimates are
projections only, as opposed to true targets. For those reasons, the indicators are presented as supplementary performance
information that reflects the cumulative results of actions by thousands of individuals dealing with tens of thousands of
cases.
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Key Indicators of Provincial Justice System Efficiency |
2002/03 Actual |
2003/04 Actual |
2004/05 Projection |
2004/05 Actual |
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Average months of trial delay in Provincial Court criminal cases |
6
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5.1
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6
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4.6
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Median number of days to disposition from first appearance in court for criminal cases1 |
44
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51
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44
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56
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Average number of appearances per completed case in Provincial Court |
5.8
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6.1
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5.4
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6.3
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Results and Variance Explanations:
The measurement of time and court events from case commencement to disposition broadly indicates system efficiency and effectiveness. Unacceptable delays can be grounds for dismissing charges.
Trial delay is the period of time that begins on the day when the defence formally requests a trial and ends on the day when a trial date is set. The actual for 2004/05 shows that the average time required to set dates for trials to begin decreased by about 15 days. The decrease in delay produced an overall improvement in the speed with which cases that go to trial are processed.
The other two indicators show increases and could reflect growing case complexity involving intricate legal issues, multiple parties, and large volumes of technical evidence. All of these factors take longer to resolve, and they use more court resources. Data from previous years show that the average number of appearances is increasing fractionally, which is consistent with increased case complexity.
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Data Considerations:
Three key indicators are tracked by the Court Services Branch. Two of them (second and third above) are based on courtroom processes and document handling. The second indicator — median number of days to disposition — tracks the median time required to process all charges and documents related to a given case.
The data source for the second and third measures is JUSTIN, a highly reliable, integrated case tracking system used throughout the province. The first measure is reported quarterly by the Office of the Chief Judge and is generated by survey. |
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