Interns learn simple processes to improve case backlogs

Case backlogs are a major problem for courts in Indonesia and the resulting delays impact on the administration of justice – “justice delayed is justice denied.” Helping the courts to process cases more efficiently is one way that AIPJ is working with the courts to improve legal services for justice seekers.

In May, three staff from the Supreme Court of Indonesia spent two weeks at the Victoria Registry of the Federal Court of Australia studying its business processes and case management systems. A second visit is planned for October under phase two of this initiative. This internship program is part of the Memorandum of Understanding on judicial cooperation between the Supreme Court and the Federal and Family Court of Australia.

“The program is about transferring knowledge and sharing experiences,” explained Asep Nursobah, Coordinator for Data and Information at the Supreme Court Registry, and one of the three interns. “We saw many simple processes that could be useful for the Supreme Court. One example is the docket system where cases are allocated according to workload, thus reducing the potential for backlogs.  Each case is assigned to an individual judge for the entire process from registration to final decision – it makes judges more accountable. The accountability side of this [initiative] is something we can adopt,” Asep added.

Other simple practices, such as the use of a color coded filing system and the numbering of paragraphs in court judgments/decisions were considered useful. “Standardising forms is another practice that will make processing faster by making it easier for judges to read submissions,” said Asep.