1 SVERIGES DOMSTOLAR 2020-04-18

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Public relations-Public Trust and Confidence in
the Courts
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Important factors

• The accessibility of the courts and the court
  staff for parties and people giving evidence
• The courts reception of parties and people
  giving evidence
• Processing times at the courts
• The transparency of the courts decision-making
  processes
• The formulation of judgements and decisions
• The way in which activities of the courts are
  portrayed by the media
• The knowledge of the general public about what
  goes on in the courts
• The conduct of judges

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Measures for improving the reception of parties
and people giving evidence

• Guidelines for what parties and people giving
  evidence have reason to expect and the demands
  that can be placed on the staff of courts with
  regard to the person-to-person reception.
• All courts should offer the same accessibility
  with regard to telephone and office hours and
  contacts by email.
• Information to parties and people giving evidence
  about what goes on in the court and what is
  expected of them available.
• The reception of people appearing at court is to
  improve and in the larger courts, there should be
  special service staff.
• All the staff at courts are to be trained with
  regard to reception issues.

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Measures to improve the formulation of judgements
and decisions

• Regulations on the formal and graphic design of
  judgements and decisions.
• Recommendations for how judgements and decisions
  should be formulated with regard to readability
  and judicial argumentation.
• All court lawyers are to be trained in issues
  concerning the formulation of judgements and
  decisions.

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Vigorous measures to improve the courts contacts
with the media

• Judges are primarily to manage contacts with the
  media concerning the cases and matters for which
  they are responsible.
• Heads of courts are to contribute to creating an
  atmosphere of openness at courts and a
  willingness to provide information to the media.
• Media judges are to be available at the courts
  where there is a need for such a judge.
• A media group of media judges acting as a body
  for the regular exchange of experience.
• The National Courts Administration is to have
  overall responsibility for training judges in
  media issues.
• A Press Service at the National Courts
  Administration is to act as a starting point for
  journalists and others who have questions about
  activities in the courts
• A Spokesperson for the Swedish courts who can
  represent the courts and provide information
  about the activities of the courts.

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Other measures to strengthen trust in the courts

• Better websites
• Parties access to information on their very own
  cases
• Electronic case management
• Routines to cover the information on blogs,
  communities
• Greater openness
• Visits of school classes
• Open house visits to the court