Results of survey mostly good news

Members of the public have little trouble finding the Family Court building and feel safe once inside, according to a survey conducted by court officials.

Those who visited the facility on Jan. 4 were asked to complete a poll with 10 questions about court access. Court Executive Officer Chuck Short said the results, which were released to the Review-Journal earlier this month, pleased the Family Court judges.

"I think they were nervous, anxious when they were going through this, and I think they were pleasantly surprised," Short said.

Of the 236 people who answered the questions, 92 percent agreed or strongly agreed that "finding the courthouse was easy," and 91 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "I felt safe in the courthouse." The building sits on the northwest corner of Bonanza and Pecos roads.

The court received its lowest mark on a question that asked about efficiency. When presented with the statement "I was able to get my court business done in a reasonable amount of time," 65 percent agreed or strongly agreed, while 23 percent disagreed or strongly disagreed.

"We expected that the delay in processing cases and the wait time at the clerk counters to file documents would be reflected by the survey," Short said.

One respondent wrote: "I waited from 12:45 to 2:15 before I discovered no one was ever going to open the door. My appt. was 1:30 p.m. We were taken downstairs. Haven't been acknowledged yet. It's now 2:30."

Short and Arthur Ritchie Jr., the presiding judge for Family Court, said the poll responses bolster the argument of those who argue Family Court needs additional resources.

"There's no secret that people have to wait to be heard because of the volume," Ritchie said.

Short said about 60,000 cases are filed each year in Family Court. Those cases are handled by 13 elected judges and 10 hearing masters.

"Many Clark County services are understaffed, and the courts are not immune from that," Short said. "And we are underjudged and understaffed in the family division."

A bill to create 10 new district judgeships in Clark County, including six Family Court judges, is pending before the Legislature.

"We have one of the busiest courts in the country," Ritchie said.

The judge said statistics show a steady increase in the number of cases filed each year. Adding more judges would improve the court's score on the efficiency question by reducing each judge's caseload, Ritchie said. Judges also can improve the score by being punctual and managing their cases well, he said.

Thought the court received its lowest score on the efficiency question, Ritchie said he still considers it a good result. One respondent went so far as to write: "Found the system to be very efficient."

Ritchie also said he was encouraged by the overall results of the survey.

The poll showed that 80 percent of respondents agreed or strongly agreed that the forms they needed "were attainable, clear and easy to understand," and 81 percent agreed or strongly agreed that the court "makes reasonable efforts to remove physical and language barriers to service."

On a question about whether court staff paid attention to their needs, 83 percent agreed or strongly agreed. In response to the statement "I was treated with courtesy and respect," 87 percent agreed or strongly agreed.

When asked whether they easily found the courtroom or office they needed, 85 percent agreed or strongly agreed, and 70 percent gave those responses when asked whether the court's Web site was useful.

On the final survey question, 82 percent agreed or strongly agreed with the statement "The court provided equal and informed access."

Short estimated that 500 to 1,000 members of the public visit the Family Court building each day. He had hoped the survey would draw responses from at least 100 people, and more than twice that amount participated.

About 7 percent of the respondents filled out a Spanish version of the survey.

Although the questionnaire did not invite written comments, 8 percent of the respondents provided them. "Haven't been here in over 20 years," one person volunteered. "Not a good experience."

One respondent added an 11th question, "Parking was easy," and answered "strongly disagree."

Short said he would like to see that question in the future.

"We want to see if that's something experienced by all," he said.

Short said plans are under way to conduct the survey this fall at the Regional Justice Center and again at the Family Court building next January.

The survey was modeled after one that appears on the National Center for State Courts' Web site. Representatives from Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix have used a similar survey and shared their results at the fall meeting of the Urban Court Managers' Network in Las Vegas.

Maricopa County court officials found the poll results beneficial, prompting Clark County court officials to give the questionnaire a try. Complaints from Clark County judges led to the removal of five proposed questions on the topic of fairness.

Anyone other than court employees or judges may fill out the surveys, which include demographic questions.

Of those who answered the questions on the Family Court poll, 55 percent were female. On a question about frequency of courthouse visits, 42 percent said they "regularly" visit the courthouse, and 20 percent said they had come to the courthouse for the first time. More than half said they came to court that day for proceedings involving divorce, child custody or child support issues.

The results showed that 53 percent of the respondents were white, 19 percent were black, and 18 percent were Hispanic.