Stop by any Superior Court location this month to let officials know just how fair and accessible they are.
The V.I. Superior Court is conducting a survey of all courthouse users from litigants to employees, attorneys and the public, as the first phase of its five-year strategic plan focused on ensuring accessibility and fair and respectful treatment of court users.
The survey will be available from Monday to Wednesday at the Superior Court’s Magistrate Division at Barbel Plaza South on St. Thomas. The survey will then be available from Oct. 27 to Oct. 29 at the Alexander Farrelly Justice Complex on St. Thomas and at the R. H. Amphlett Leader Justice Center on St. Croix.
English and Spanish versions of the survey will be available and an interpreter will be present. Court visitors completing the survey can choose between either a paper or electronic survey format. Staff volunteers, including Access and Fairness Task Force members, are encouraging everyone who has business at the courthouse to fill out the brief, confidential survey about their experiences as recipients of court services.
Some of the questions in the survey ask about how physically accessible the court is and whether, once you’re in the courthouse, if you feel safe, according to Colleen Clendinen, project director of the task force and assistant director of Human Resources for V.I. Superior Court.
“Our next concern is whether your business has been dealt with in a reasonable about of time. We want to know if you feel like our staff has paid attention to your needs and treated you with courtesy and respect,” she said.
The Superior Court will use the information to be able to better assist the public, Clendinen explained.
“We’re going to get the general basis of information, like who you are and what business you are doing in the court, so that we can see where we can make improvements,” Clendinen said. “The court wants to be able to serve the public to the best of its ability.”
Part of the initiative is to determine if there are any language barriers the court needs to address, Clendinen added.
“We want to be able to communicate with all audiences," she said. "We know that we have Spanish speakers and also French and Arabic. We don’t want to have any language barriers that would hamper anyone’s business or process in the courthouse.”
The survey will also include questions regarding how people feel the judges handled their cases.
“Part of this is about fairness too,” Clendinen said. “Once your case has been heard, we want to make sure you feel that your voice was heard. How do you feel your judge did? Do you think you had a fair trial? We want to make sure the public feels that they can come to the judicial system and be able to get fair treatment.”
Residents who are doing business in the court and employees who work in the courthouse will all be asked to complete the surveys, according to Clendinen.
“This is an entire court effort,” Clendinen said. “We’ll be trying to reach out to everyone who does business and works in courthouses on St. Thomas and St. Croix. We’re trying to ascertain any information that will help us to move forward. We are public servants and as such we want to make sure that when the public comes to us that we are meeting the needs of the community.”
V.I. Superior Court Presiding Judge Michael C. Dunston said, “This is just the beginning of a process intended to reap ongoing benefits for court employees and the community … to accomplish our vision of a committed and empowered workforce, enhanced public confidence in the court system, timely case processing, service excellence and dedication.”
In addition to the hard copies, which will be available next week at local courthouses, officials are also trying to offer the survey on the V.I. Superior Court’s website www.visuperiorcourt.org, Clendinen added.
For more information about the survey and the court’s five-year strategic plan, contact Clendinen at (340) 774-6680 or Bridget Hodge, research coordinator, at (340) 774-6680 ext. 6428.
