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Criminal Jurisdictionthe process to optimise timelinesswhere necessary in aiming tocases to each Judge, who receivedIn the next financial year, the 24-and resource use.achieve timely and affordable justiceapproximately six to eight cases. Inmonth pilot project will end and theJudges of the Court, listings andfor the community.managing their own cases fromCourt will conduct a formal evalua-administrative staff are mindful ofthe complexity of listing, given that alarge number of variables can affectthe process, often at short notice.Of paramount importance is thetimely and efficient administration ofthe list to:• minimise the number of casesnot being reached in thereserve list;• achieve more certainty for theparties about their case commencingon the initial date oflisting; and• provide a list expediting thehearing of cases as effectivelyas possible, given the resourcesof the Court.The Court will continue to monitorthe listings system and modify itSix Cylinder ProjectBegun as a pilot in 2003–04, the SixCylinder Project involved six Judgeswho oversaw the scheduling and theintensive management of hearings.The greater flexibility Judges havehad in managing case lists hasresulted, on occasion, in trials beingbrought forward, or gaps in the listbeing filled with pleas of guilty andmentions. This process has led to areduction in waiting times for casesand a more effective use of theJudges’ sitting time. When trialswere resolved or adjourned, Judgesassisted other Cylinder Judges withtheir matters, or took on mattersfrom the General List.Once each month the six cylindersystem allocated a ‘callover’ of newinception, each Cylinder Judge wasable to develop a familiarity andunderstanding of each individualmatter. The system helped to savecourt time when issues arose that,had the matter been before a newJudge, would have had to be re-examinedby the parties.The Court set a target of 21.7% of allcases heard to be allocated to theCylinder Judges. This target wasbased on the assumption that at leastfive Cylinder Judges would be sittingin Melbourne. During 2004–05, theCylinder Judges dealt with 568 cases(525 in 2003–04) out of a total of1,870 criminal disposals (1,960 in2003–04), or 30.4% of all criminalmatters in the Court (26.8% in2003–04), exceeding the originaltarget by 8.7% (5.1% in 2003–04).tion to determine the success of theproject in expediting the processingof criminal cases.Refer to the photo feature on page28 regarding Judge Lawson’s experiencesas a Judge in charge of aCylinder.Individual CriminalCaseflowThe following information details themajor case activity for Trials andPleas and Appeals.Trials and PleasThe caseflow for Criminal trials andpleas during 2004–05 was comprisedas follows:• Cases commenced totalled2,537, compared with 2,503cases in 2003–04, representinga 1.4% increase.Criminal Cases Overall—2000–01 to 2004–05No.5500500045004000Trials and Pleas CaseProfile—2000–01 to 2004–05No.5000450040003500Appeals Case Profile—2000–01 to 2004–05No.5000450040003500The trend over the last four financialyears shows a steady increase in thenumber of cases, both initiated andfinalised. Also, pending cases hascontinued to rise. The Court endeavoursto improve its performance inmeeting the increasing pressures onits listing process presented bythese increases.350030002500200030002500200030002500200015001500150010001000100050050050002000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–0502000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–0502000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05CasesInitiatedCasesFinalisedCasesPendingCasesInitiatedCasesFinalisedCasesPendingCasesInitiatedCasesFinalisedCasesPending30County Court of Victoria 2004–05 Annual Report