Final Report: Implementation of the Productivity Measurement System for Judges of First Instance

The program aimed to provide key information on the judicial management that could be shared with the public. The Rendición de Cuentas refers to the right of society to be informed about the management of public institutions and the duty of authorities to inform the outcome of their management. The program designed an instrument to collect data on the judicial management, which was developed in collaboration with experts from the Corte Suprema de la República de Chile. The instrument included indicators to measure the quantity and quality of data available on the judicial production, as well as the form of management of the courts and tribunals. The indicators proposed for the quantity of cases included the number of cases in progress, the number of cases resolved, the rate of pendence, the rate of transfer, and the rate of congestion. The indicators proposed for the time included the average number of days to resolve a case, the average number of days to issue a provision of mere trámite, and the average number of days to issue a sentence. The program also identified the need for strategic data, including the number of cases in progress, the number of cases entered in the year, the number of final judgments, and the number of sentences. The indicators of time included the dates of provisions issued in a given period and the dates of the last action by the parties. The Poder Judicial accepted the indicators of resolution, pendence, and congestion, but rejected the indicators of time due to the lack of technology to capture the information. However, with the implementation of the management model in the courts, it is now possible to measure the time it takes to resolve cases. The Corte Suprema de Justicia approved the instrument and the indicators, and the Dirección General de Estadísticas del Poder Judicial began to measure the productivity of the courts quarterly and annually. However, the process of data collection has some weaknesses, as some circunscripciones still collect data manually, which hinders the rapid collection of data. The program made several recommendations to improve the process of data collection, including the need for the Poder Judicial to initiate a process of training in the use of the judicial management system, the importance of diffusing the information generated in the courts, and the need for coordination among the offices of the Poder Judicial to monitor the process of data collection. The program also suggested the formalization of regular meetings to monitor the process of data collection and to identify obstacles and problems that hinder the transfer of information from the courts. The program aimed to provide key information on the judicial management that could be shared with the public, and to support the efforts of the Poder Judicial in the process of Rendición de Cuentas to society.