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appropriate venue for resolving the dispute. This critical process, considered a judicial <br />function, is sophisticated, consistent and valid. Case assessment occurs before any case is <br />actually filed. <br />• Potential litigants have the right to select a dispute resolution venue not recommended <br />by the case assessment center. However, they must pay more if greater time and <br />resources are involved; taxpayers are not solely responsible for these additional costs. <br />Court fees are structured to reflect the actual costs of non-recommended court uses. <br />• Through the case assessment process, many potential cases are routed to court-annexed <br />dispute resolution venues, reducing the overall volume of court cases and saving <br />taxpayers considerable money. Trial courts rarely process small claims, landlord/tenant <br />actions, or traffic infractions. For example, traffic infractions are usually handled by <br />CDRCs or the Department of Motor Vehicles. <br />• The Bar, state legislators, police, corrections and other justice system stakeholders have <br />been actively involved in developing the case assessment system. The f3ar is also <br />involved in the actual case assessment process. Lawyers still represent clients during <br />case assessment, but act as problem-solvers first and litigators second only if non- <br />adversarial options are not appropriate. <br />Criminal ADR <br />Appropriate dispute resolution ~s noK~ used through~~ut the cnminal iustice system <br />following estab(ished standards and guidelines. A menu of criminal ADR options is <br />available statewide. This non-traditional approach to criminal justice has helped mitigate <br />the continual increase in criminal cases facing the courts <br />• Stakeholders in the system (the courts, district and defense attorneys, probat~on and <br />parole officers, corrections personnel, etc.) act as probiem-solvers. They work more <br />collaboratively than in the past, using criminal ADR methods and techniques. <br />• ADR methods and techniques are used at every stage of the criminal process. For <br />example, if an offender chooses and it is appropriate, law enforcement officers are <br />authorized to determine and impose a sanction immedialely, or refer the matter directly <br />to a CDRC or other venue for further action. At the time of sentencing, offenders in <br />Final Vision Texf 10 Aug<<st 1994 <br />