Index of Trial Court Guidelines and Standards

As part of its responsibilities, the State Court Administrative Office provides management assistance and direction to the trial courts on the administration of the courts' business through such means as dissemination of relevant information, advice and direction on specific issues.

Some of this advice and direction is distributed by way of: 1) policy and procedure manuals produced for specific positions within the courts; 2) policy and procedure directives issued by the State Court Administrator as Administrative Memoranda; and 3) procedures, guidelines, and standards developed and implemented for various areas of court operations. The following index lists some of the guidelines and standards issued by the State Court Administrator over the past few years; more will be added to this list over the coming months. It is anticipated that many of the guidelines and standards will eventually be made available through this site as PDF files.

Procedures

Guidelines

Absent Children
Absent Parent Protocol
Abstracting Felony Offenses
Achieving Permanency in Child Protection Proceedings
Accommodations
Alternative Dispute Resolution Plans
Appointment of Counsel for Indigent Defendants
Attorney General Representation
Case Evaluation
Collection on Friend of the Court Cases
Concurrent Jurisdiction Planning Guide and Guidelines & Application
Conducting Post Termination Review Hearings
Court Ordered Reimbursement
Custody and Parenting Time Violations
Family Court Plan Requirements and Guidelines and Summary of Requirements
Juvenile Guardianship Guidelines for Transfer of Jurisdiction, Child Support, and Funding Issues
Lawyer Guardian Ad Litem Protocol
Michigan Trial Court Guidelines and Standards for Digital Imaging
Parents' Attorney Protocol
Processing Circuit & District Cases Under Deferred Judgment of Guilt versus Delayed Sentence
Local Administrative Orders
Use of Cell Phones and Other Portable Electronic Communication Devices Within the Court
Weather

Absent Parent Protocol: Identifying, Locating, and Notifying Noncustodial parents in Child Protective Proceedings

See the Protocol (281k PDF)

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Chart of Felony Offenses for which Secretary of State Abstracting is Required

See the Chart (16k PDF)

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Conducting Post Termination Review Hearings

See the Guidelines

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Guidelines for Achieving Permanency in Child Protection Proceedings

See the Guidelines

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Guidelines for Appointment of Counsel for Indigent Defendants

See the Guidelines (67k PDF)

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Guidelines for Completing the Local Alternative Dispute Resolution Plan and ADR Rule Impelementation Status

See the Guidelines (17k PDF)

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Guidelines for Concurrent Jurisdiction Plans

See the Planning Guide (130k PDF)

See the Guidelines and Application (186k PDF)

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Guidelines for Court Ordered Reimbursement

See the Guidelines (1,727k PDF)

Effective 7/1/06, the schedule of payments located at the end of the guidelines were replaced by the Child Support Formula Manual. See Administrative Order No. 2006-5.

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Guidelines and Requirements for Family Court Plans

See the Guidelines (74k PDF)
See the Summary (55k PDF)

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Guidelines for Development of Plans Involving Children who are Absent Without Legal Permission

See the Guidelines (9k PDF)

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Guidelines for Enforcement of Custody and Parenting Time Violations

See the Guidelines (53k PDF)

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Guidelines for Preparing Local Administrative Orders for Selecting Case Evaluators and Case Evaluation Panels

See the Guidelines (9k PDF)

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Guidelines for Procedures Regarding Payee Retention of Private Collection Agencies on Friend of the Court Cases

See the Guidelines (22k PDF)

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Guidelines for Processing Circuit and District Court Cases Under Deferred Judgment of Guilt and Delayed Sentence Statutes

See the Comparison of Processing for Adult Defenders

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Guidelines for Securing Attorney General Representation

See the Guidelines (8k PDF)

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Guidelines for Submitting Local Administrative Orders for Approval

See the Guidelines (9k PDF)

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Guidelines for Use of Cell Phones and Other Portable Electronic Communication Devices Within the Court

See the Guidelines and Sample Policy

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Guidelines for Weather Emergencies

See the Guidelines (8k PDF)

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Juvenile Guardianship Guidelines for Transfer of Jurisdiction, Child Support, and Funding Issues

See the Guidelines

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Lawyer-Guardian Ad Litem Protocol

See the Protocol

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Michigan Trial Court Guidelines and Standards for Digital Imaging

See the Guidelines and Standards (121k PDF)

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Model Policy on Requests for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities

See the Model (13k PDF)

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Parents' Attorney Protocol

See the Protocol

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Standards

Batterer Intervention Standards

See the Standards (66k PDF)
See the Application (21k PDF)

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Case File Management Standards (updated 12/09)

See the Standards (378k PDF)
See Highlights of 2009 Update (89.k PDF)

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Check Register Standards

See the Standards (6k PDF)

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Collections Standards - Trial Court Collections Standards & Guidelines

See the Standards (380k PDF)

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Communications Standards

See the Standards (33k PDF)

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County Law Library Standards

See the Standards (26k PDF)

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Court Security Standards and Manual

See the Court Security Manual (1.85MB PDF)

Note: The file size of 1.85MB may make it difficult for some users to download due to slow Internet connection speeds. If you are unable to download this file, use the links below.

See the Table of Contents (649k PDF)
See General Information - Section 1 (43k PDF)
See Specific Procedures - Section 2 (85k PDF)
See Audit Checklist (235k PDF)
See Audit Court Overview (72k PDF)
See the Standards (38k PDF)
Appendix Materials
   See Ballistic Resistant Protective Materials (26k PDF)
   See Bioterrorism Preparedness-Washtenaw
   See Court Security Officer Duties (47k PDF)
   See Criminal History Records Review Release Form (5k PDF)
   See Incident Report Form (5k PDF)
   See Information Sources (23k PDF)
   See Legal Basis for Court Security (50k PDF)
   See Letter for Criminal File Search (28k PDF)
   See Mail Handling Process (28k PDF)
   See Outline for Security Manual (29k PDF)
   See Personal Body Armor-NIJ Standard (329k PDF)
   See Suggested References (26k PDF)
   See Telephone Reference Check (22k PDF)
   See Training Opportunities (23k PDF)
   See Weapons Memo (23k PDF)
   See Weapons Model LAO (7k PDF)
   See Weapons Notice (13k PDF)

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Data Standards

Contact SCAO at TCS Info if you need information. (Include "data standards" in the subject line.)

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Digital Audio Recording Systems Standards

See the Standards (31k PDF)

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Digital Video Recording Systems Standards

See the Standards (27k PDF)

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Facility Standards - The Michigan Courthouse;
A Planning and Design Guide for Trial Court Facilities

See the Table of Contents (1089k PDF)
See the Introduction (52k PDF)
See the Planning Process - Section 1 (415k PDF)
See the General Court Design Issues - Section 2 (2108k PDF)
See the Courthouse Design Criteria - Section 3 (6101k PDF)
Appendix Materials
   See Glossary of Terms (32k PDF)
   See Statutes, Court Rules, and Administrative Orders (91k PDF)
   See Attorney General Opinion (51k PDF)
   See Courthouse Facility Checklist (104k PDF)
   See ADA Title II Self Evaluation (64k PDF)
   See Request for Quotes and Proposals Examples (6443k PDF)
   See Sample Standard Forms 254 and 255 (353k PDF)
   See American Institute of Architects Contract Information (51k PDF)
   See Resource List (33k PDF)
   See Bibliography (56k PDF)

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Interactive Video Technology: Involuntary Commitment, Child Protective, and Delinquency

See the Standards (11k PDF)

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Judicial Assignment Procedures

See the Procedures (156k PDF)

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Mediation Training Standards and Procedures; Standards of Conduct for Mediators

See the Standards (34k PDF)

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Michigan Trial Court Guidelines and Standards for Digital Imaging

See the Guidelines and Standards (121k PDF)

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