Program History
Citizen Court Monitoring is a statewide program that recruits non-lawyer, local volunteers to observe court proceedings in their communities. The monitors’ findings and recommendations are published by Modern Courts and released to the public, court administrators, judges, court personnel, government officials, lawmakers, bar associations, civic groups, and the media.
Monitors are local volunteers who look at the courts from an average citizen’s viewpoint, thereby providing common sense perspectives on how courts serve the public. During the monitoring project, these volunteers observe proceedings in a particular court for a period of several months, and complete forms designed to help them evaluate critical aspects of the court’s performance, ranging from judges’ management of courtroom proceedings to the physical conditions of the courthouses.
Over the past forty years, Modern Courts’ court monitoring program has been influential in publicizing problems that exist in the courts; alerting the court system and media to the closing of courtrooms, urging those responsible for the courts to make improvements, particularly in facilities and court operations; and educating the public about the daily functions and operation of the courts in order to create a constituency of citizens who understand the problems facing the court system and who support efforts to assist the courts to function more efficiently and effectively.
Ongoing Projects
Modern Courts’ continues to seek citizen court monitors so we can continue the work to address problems in courts around the state, and to improve the administration of justice for all New Yorkers.
Are you interested in volunteering to be a court monitor in your county?