Fourth National Justice Modelling Workshop

1. Fourth National Justice Modelling Workshop Simulation Model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia By Trang Tang

2. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • To better inform the 5 year budget cycle; • To help with identifying potential process improvements; and • To predict the impact on court performance when there are changes to resources; and • To predict the impact of legislative changes. Purpose of simulation modelling

3. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Background • The Kimberley Magistrate is responsible for servicing the entire Kimberley region (which is 421,000 square kilometres of land mass); • The Magistrate sits 10 days per month in Broome and the remainder of the time is spent travelling and presiding over cases in other court facilities within the Kimberley region; • The Magistrate and his support staff work up to 65 hours per week and travel approximately 5,000 kilometres every five weeks; • Over recent years, demand for court services and the complexity of work in these locations has increased by 30%;

4. Magistrates’ Circuits and Regions

5. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

6. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia New process map place here

7. Current Magistrates Court Circuit One Magistrate based in Broome circuiting to: • Derby - 12 times per year • Fitzroy crossing - 12 times per year • Kununurra/Wyndham (same circuit) – Kununurra 22 times per year and Wyndham 12 times per year. • Halls Creek – 29 times per year • Dampier Peninsula – 6 times per year • Bidyadanga – 6 times per year • Kalumburu/Oomnulgurri/Warmun/Balgo (same circuit) – Kalumburu 6 times per year, Oombulgurri 6 times per year, Warmun 6 times per year and Balgo 6 times per year Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Kalumburu Oombulgurri Wyndham Kununurra Dampier Peninsula Warmun New process map place here Derby Broome Fitzroy Crossing Halls Creek Bidyadanga Balgo

8. Kalumburu Oombulgurri Wyndham Kununurra Dampier Peninsula Warmun Broome Derby Fitzroy Crossing Halls Creek Bidyadanga Balgo

9. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia MODEL DEVELOPMENT

10. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • Identification and mapping processes • Business process model to simulate case flow through the court system. • Data analysis of process performance; • Used historical data to identify case flows and trends; • Baye’s Theorem used: Probability distributions based; Process times & % splits; • Model building and results; • Verification and validation; and • Scenario testing. Methodology

11. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • Only Kimberley region court processes are modeled; • The model is based on court processes; • Only Judicial Officers’ working days are considered. Model Assumptions

12. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • Build and validate the baseline model; • Modify and perform scenario testing based on the proposed change to the circuit arrangement of the Kimberley region into: • The West Kimberley region where the magistrate is based in Broome; and • The East Kimberley region where the magistrate is based in Kununurra. Proposed Solution

13. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Kimberly map place here

14. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • Average time to trial (Weeks) Key Model Output

15. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia SCENARIO TESTING

16. Proposed Magistrates Court Circuit Broome Magistrate One Magistrate based in Broome circuiting to: • Derby - 24 times per year • Fitzroy crossing - 24 times per year • Djarindjin (Dampier Peninsula) – 12 times per year • Bidyadanga – 12 times per year Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Kalumburu Oombulgurri Wyndham Proposed Magistrates Court Circuit Kununurra Magistrate One Magistrate based in Kununurra circuiting to: • Wyndham - 24 times per year • Kalumburu/Oombulgurri (same circuit)- Kalmbururu 12 times per year and Oombulgurri 12 times per year. • Balgo/Warmun (same circuit) – Balgo 12 times per year and Warmun 12 times per year • Halls Creek – 60 times per year Kununurra Dampier Peninsula Warmun Derby New process map place here Broome Halls Creek Fitzroy Crossing Bidyadanga Balgo

17. View to front of court room View to front of court Halls creek court – front entrance Wyndham court Outside holding area (back of police station) View of court and adjacent to police station Interview room with AV Facilities Magistrates room

18. View to front of court room Fitzroy crossing police court Magistrates chambers Up-to-date-signage!

19. View to front of court room Wyndham court Interview room with AV Facilities Magistrates room

20. View to front of court room View to bench Derby Court house Halls creek court – front entrance View to front of court Wyndham court Outside holding area (back of police station) Jury room/Kitchen Interview room with AV Facilities Court front counter and access Magistrates room

21. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia

22. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia The two possible scenarios for the impact on average “Time to trial” in the Kimberley region: • Projected time to trial for one Magistrate working in the Kimberley region; and • Projected time to trial if an additional Magistrate is appointed in Kununurra. Scenario Testing

23. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Key Model Outputs • Average time to trial (Weeks)

24. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia New process map place here

25. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Outcome An additional Magistrate was funded by the Western Australian government effective from 2008/09 financial year. This will enable the current level of performance to be improved and will ensure: • The workload placed on the Magistrate in Broome will be reduced to a manageable and sustainable level; • Additional judicial time will be available for the development and implementation of Aboriginal Courts; and • A greater level of service to remote Aboriginal communities and Multi-Function Police Facilities (MFPF) locations in the Kimberley.

26. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • Complexity of criminal justice process; • Relies on understanding of courts’ business process and its interactions; • Availability/Integrity of data; • Relies heavily on detailed data analysis; • Modelling takes time – But it does have tangible results! • Steep learning curve – results and benefits will improve over time; Lessons learnt

27. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia • Develop similar models for other courts and tribunals in WA; • Refine models to include other significant variables. E.g. Offence types, Sentence types and length for use in other justice models. Future Directions

28. Simulation model of the Magisterial Workload in the Kimberley Region of Western Australia Trang Tang trang.tang@justice.wa.gov.au (08) 9425 7504 Questions