The Court Case Management Program (CCM) is a judicially-led initiative designed to develop new and innovative ways to effectively manage cases in the Criminal Court of the Alberta Court of Justice. It is intended to increase public confidence in the justice system and improve access to justice. CCM is a collaborative effort which benefits from the participation of stakeholders including Court and Justice Services (CJS), Alberta Crown Prosecution Services (ACPS), Public Prosecution Service of Canada (PPSC), defence counsel, law enforcement and the judiciary.
Benefits of Court Case Management
The Case Management Office (CMO) has maximized the amount of time Justices spend on meaningful events and reduced time spent in docket court speaking to matters that require little judicial input. The CMO counter reduces the number of prisoners that have to be transported to the courthouse saving time and money and improving safety.
Prior to CCM, matters were heard in docket courts where defence counsel often waited a long time to have their matter called. Moving first appearance cases and simple remands to the CMO has relieved the burden on docket courts. Some locations have express lines for counsel. The accused has better access to justice through the CMO as it is less confusing and intimidating than a courtroom, with resources dedicated to explaining the current status of their matter and the necessary next steps. The accused can appear at any time during a scheduled window and not sit in court for hours awaiting their appearance.
Crown File Ownership allows defence and Crown counsel to have more meaningful conversations and use their time more effectively. It has improved the way the Crown's office does business. Assigning one prosecutor for the length of a file promotes proper case management practices, holds Crown prosecutors accountable for the progress of a file, decreases the risk of successful Jordan applications, reduces the number of prosecutors investing time and effort reviewing files and provides one point of contact for police, defence counsel and witnesses.
Remote Courtroom Scheduling (RCS) gives defence counsel electronic access to court information they could only obtain through written request or by telephone before CCM. In addition, RCS can be accessed by counsel 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, allowing them to serve their clients better. It is no longer necessary to attend the courthouse to book every matter. RCS is accessible in the office or at home.
Assignment Courts have minimized the time court clerks and Justices spend waiting in courtrooms for cases to commence, freeing up additional court resources. Assignment courts provide for a higher completion rate (and conversely, lower collapse rate) on trial day for trial matters scheduled through the assignment court process. This in turn contributes to overall reductions in times for a case in the system.
Court Appearance Scheduling System (CASS) has significantly reduced the number of systems required for booking a matter. Duplicate data entry has been substantially reduced. In regional locations, law enforcement staff would attend court with their scheduling book to coordinate court dates with defence counsel and crown. Now they are able to input the officer availability in JOIN or CARM which can be accessed by CASS or RCS.
A witness marshalling area has been set as a central reporting station for witnesses appearing on matters scheduled for the assignment courts. This centralized approach provides better witnesses management.
Digital Display Systems (DDS) for court dockets and information kiosks are conveniently located throughout the Edmonton, Calgary and Red Deer courthouses and allow the public to input a name and search for court appearance information.
Criminal eFile is an application that creates efficiencies for the Alberta Crown Prosecutions Services in Edmonton by moving towards an electronic, paperless system. It eliminates the need for paper files and provides the prosecutions service with an electronic file management system. Defence counsel are able to request and receive disclosure packages electronically.
CCM Governance