Setting the Context

Introduction

The linked documents listed below were developed in conjunction with the statewide conference, "Courts and Their Communities:  Local Planning and the Renewal of Public Trust and Confidence"  held in May 1998.  The documents are intended to provide an overview of the issues currently facing the justice system in California. This information also was used as the foundation for development of the conference keynote video presentation and panel discussion that opened the conference.

Page 1


• Today's Challenges in the Administration of Justice
  • The Role of an Independent Judiciary
  • Equal Access to Justice
• Public Trust and Confidence
  • What the Studies Have Shown
  • The Role of the Media in Shaping Public Opinion
  • Building Trust: Perceptions of the Bar and the Courts
  • Public Awareness of and Involvement With the Courts

  Page 2
  

• What the Courts Can Do
  • Effective Court Planning to Ensure Adequate Resources
  • Shifting Our Emphasis to Customer Service
  • Community Outreach
• On the Threshold