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, Guidelines, and Application and Fillable 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
Juvenile Probation Officers Ethics
Lawyer Guardian Ad Litem Protocol
LEIN Guidelines (provided by Michigan State Police)
Michigan Trial Court Guidelines and Standards for Digital Imaging
Parents' Attorney Protocol
Processing Circuit & District Cases Under Deferred Judgment of Guilt versus Delayed Sentence
Processing Concealed Pistol Offenses
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

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

See the Chart

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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

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

See the Guidelines

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Guidelines for Concurrent Jurisdiction Plans

See the Concurrent Jurisdiction Planning, Guidelines, and Application (10/11)

See the Fillable Application (10/11)

See the Frequently Asked Questions (11/11)

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Guidelines for Court Ordered Reimbursement

See the Guidelines

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
See the Summary

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

See the Guidelines

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Guidelines for Enforcement of Custody and Parenting Time Violations

See the Guidelines

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Guidelines for Juvenile Probation Officers and Model Code of Conduct for Michigan Trial Court Employees

See the Guidelines

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

See the Guidelines

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

See the Guidelines

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

Deferred/Delayed Chart: This revised chart more clearly explains the differences between how deferred judgments of guilt are processed and reported compared to how delayed sentences are processed. It is the result of the Enhanced Sentencing Workgroup.

See the Comparison of Processing for Adult Defenders

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Guidelines for Processing Concealed Pistol Offenses

See Concealed Pistol Licensing: MCL Cites and Reporting Codes for Crimes and State Civil Infractions

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Guidelines for Securing Attorney General Representation

See the Guidelines (updated 9/11)
See the fillable request form (PDF)
See the fillable request form (Word)

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Guidelines for Submitting Local Administrative Orders for Approval

See the Guidelines

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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

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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

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Model Policy on Requests for Accommodations by Persons with Disabilities

See the Model

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Parents' Attorney Protocol

See the Protocol

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Standards

Batterer Intervention Standards

See the Standards
See the Application

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Case File Management Standards

See the Standards
See Highlights of 2011 Update 1
See Highlights of 2011 Update 2

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Check Register Standards

See the Standards

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Collections Standards - Trial Court Collections Standards & Guidelines

See the Standards

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Communications Standards

See the Standards

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County Law Library Standards

See the Standards

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Court Security Standards and Manual

See the Court Security Manual

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
See General Information - Section 1
See Specific Procedures - Section 2
See Audit Checklist
See Audit Court Overview
See the Standards
Appendix Materials
   See Ballistic Resistant Protective Materials
   See Bioterrorism Preparedness-Washtenaw
   See Court Security Officer Duties
   See Criminal History Records Review Release Form
   See Incident Report Form
   See Information Sources
   See Legal Basis for Court Security
   See Letter for Criminal File Search
   See Mail Handling Process
   See Outline for Security Manual
   See Personal Body Armor-NIJ Standard
   See Suggested References
   See Telephone Reference Check
   See Training Opportunities
   See Weapons Memo
   See Weapons Model LAO
   See Weapons Notice

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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

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Digital Video Recording Systems Standards

See the Standards

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

See the Table of Contents
See the Introduction
See the Planning Process - Section 1
See the General Court Design Issues - Section 2
See the Courthouse Design Criteria - Section 3
Appendix Materials
   See Glossary of Terms
   See Statutes, Court Rules, and Administrative Orders
   See Attorney General Opinion
   See Courthouse Facility Checklist
   See ADA Title II Self Evaluation
   See Request for Quotes and Proposals Examples
   See Sample Standard Forms 254 and 255
   See American Institute of Architects Contract Information
   See Resource List
   See Bibliography

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

See the Standards

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Judicial Assignment Procedures

See the Procedures

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Mediation Training Standards and Procedures; Standards of Conduct for Mediators

See the Standards

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Michigan Trial Court Guidelines and Standards for Digital Imaging

See the Guidelines and Standards

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