The Judicial Branch’s first-ever strategic plan, the results of months of work by the Public Service and Trust Commission, is available online at https://www.jud.ct.gov/Committees/pst/. In addition to the plan, the website contains the following materials that the Commission members relied upon:

• the Connecticut Court System Satisfaction Study,
• Focus Group Information,
• the results of the questionnaire that was posted on the Judicial Branch website about the court system, and
• transcripts from the two public hearings.

Chief Justice Chase T. Rogers appointed the commission last summer. Chaired by Appellate Court Judge Alexandra D. DiPentima, commission members recently finished this plan and submitted it to the Chief Justice for her approval. She has subsequently approved the plan, and the state’s Superior Court judges received a copy of the blueprint at their annual meeting on June 30, 2008.

“This plan exceeded my expectations, and I am extremely grateful to Judge DiPentima and members of the commission for all of their hard work,” Chief Justice Rogers said. “This is our blueprint as the Judicial Branch focuses on enhancing the services it provides to the many people who use our courthouses every day.”

Judge Barbara M. Quinn, Chief Court Administrator, has been charged with implementing the plan. She will be forming new committees when necessary and is already developing a plan to achieve the following strategies:

• Making state courthouses uniformly accessible;
• Addressing the myriad of issues that arise with the growing number of self-represented litigants;
• Enhancing court service centers;
• Revamping the Judicial Performance Evaluation Program; and,
• Improving case and docket management, especially for small claims and habeas cases.

Commission members will be updated on the progress of the implementation at the next meeting, at the end of this year.

“The strategic plan will guide the Judicial Branch into the 21st century, and I am certain that the people we serve will begin to see many of the suggested improvements in the upcoming months,” Judge Quinn said. “I also wish to thank my colleagues on the Public Service and Trust Commission for their dedication to this initiative.”