Area courts to conduct survey to evaluate access and confidence in system

From Illinois Business Journal news services

EDWARDSVILLE – Chief Judge David A. Hylla says he will implement a survey that will ask court users to give input on their personal experiences with the local court system.

Courthouse users will include attorneys, visitors, litigants, students, media and the public going in and out of the courtrooms that make up the 3rd Judicial Circuit in Madison and Bond counties.

The survey is intended to enable court officials to measure and determine the quality of services they provide. Such matters may include users’ views on how well they were treated; how easy they were able to obtain information; did they feel they were heard in court; and whether the end result was fair. Surveys forms will be available in both English and Spanish.

The Illinois Supreme Court authorized the survey and it was developed by the Strategic Planning Committee of the Illinois Judicial Conference, chaired by 4th District Appellate Justice Carol Pope and the Administrative Office of the Illinois Courts.

Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Rita Garman said, “Our goal is to measure court users’ opinions and gain insight into how courts are perceived. It is the court’s obligation to be accountable and provide justice in a fair, equitable and expeditious manner, and therefore, we look forward to the end results of this survey. After the surveys are compiled and reviewed, we can then decide what action, if any, is necessary to improve and promote the public’s trust and confidence in the court system.”

Hylla added: “I am very interested in learning of any ways that we can make our courthouses in Madison and Bond counties more user friendly. After all, the citizens who use our courts are also the taxpayers who pay for them. Everyone who works in these buildings, including me and the rest of the judges, are public servants. I hope we learn a lot.”