The judiciary

Original title: Rechtspraak: productiviteit in perspectief.

This study is concerned with the question of how the productivity of the 19 courts and five appeal courts in the Netherlands developed in the period 2002-2005. The study found that on balance the productivity of both the courts and the appeal courts had risen during this period. Nonetheless, wide variation in productivity was found both across the years and between the different courts.

There are several explanations for this. For example, the scale of production and the caseload and case intake are important, but so is the way in which resources are used and organised.

The relationship between productivity and a number of available process and quality indicators was also investigated. Despite this, many developments and differences remain unexplained.

This study makes a useful contribution to the discussion about the organisation of the judiciary in the Netherlands (e.g. the desired scale and level of cooperation), its funding (e.g. the cost prices) and the issue of best practices. In addition, the relationships found in this report between resources deployed and cases handled per court can provide a better understanding of the operation of the judicial chain.