Organisation of the Inspection Department

The Inspection Department, under the Standing Committee, checks and monitors the operation of the Judicial Administration services referred to in paragraph 1.8 of article 560 of the Organic Law on the Judiciary, carrying out actions and visits ordered by the Council, without prejudice to the jurisdiction of the Court governing bodies and in coordination with them (articles 560 and 615 of the Organic Law on the Judiciary).

The Head of Department is appointed by the Plenary Session of the General Council of the Judiciary for the same term of office as the Council that appointed him or her.

The Management of the Department is made up of a deputy magistrate and an assigned lawyer who, along with the Head of Department, form the Central Inspection Unit. 

The Inspection Department is divided into five inspection units, each made up of one or more delegated inspectors and one or more lawyers. The units are organised according to area of jurisdiction and are: the civil, criminal, social, contentious administrative unit and the mixed unit which covers courts of family matters, legal capacity of natural persons, minors and prison supervision.

The Statistics Division is part of the Inspection Department and is responsible for processing, ordering and utilising the statistical bulletins of the judicial bodies.

Duties assigned to the Inspection Department

1. Accumulating and providing information on the current situation of the courts. To this end there are a number of software applications that collect the information available relating to judicial bodies and the professional details of members of the judiciary. The Inspection Department uses the collected data to compile information on the current situation of each jurisdictional body or on a group of bodies, as well as on the management practices and performance of their incumbents.
2. Monitoring the activity of the courts. Monitoring is intended to ascertain the degree of compliance with predetermined standards in the operation of jurisdictional bodies, as well as the actual situation of the bodies and the detection of possible anomalies.
3. Preventing malfunctions in judicial bodies. Proposals are drawn up for specific action plans using the information acquired.
4. Supporting improvements in the management of courts. The results of the completed monitoring process are used to analyse the most relevant aspects of the organisation and operation of the judicial body as well as the causes explaining the current situation of each of them, with proposals for any improvements deemed necessary.
5. Making proposals to the judiciary, as well as public entities and other judicial operators, on the implementation of measures and introduction of guidelines and adjustments in relation to the management and improvement of the quality of public service offered by the Judicial Administration.

Activity of the Inspection Department

1. On-site inspection visits. The inspection units carry out ordinary and extraordinary visits to judicial bodies. Ordinary visits are intended to ascertain general and detailed information on the situation of each body inspected. Extraordinary visits aim to obtain information on specific situations when the Standing Committee considers them necessary. After the inspection visits, a detailed inspection report is written proposing measures that are considered necessary, intended both for the inspected body and the Management of the Department and for other bodies or entities of any kind.
2. On-line inspections. Every six months the situation of the judicial bodies is submitted to a thorough examination, based on data from the statistics department, on the contents of the Inspection Department's other software applications and on information obtained from judicial bodies, where applicable. The report resulting from this inspection lists malfunctioning bodies and makes the necessary internal and external proposals for improvement.
3. Reports. The Inspection Department produces reports of all kinds requested by the Standing Committee, the Advocate for Disciplinary Action and the various Services and Departments of the General Council of the Judiciary (support measures, transfer selection processes, compatible activities, leave, etc.) Report are also drawn up for external bodies and entities upon request.
4. Monitoring the operation of judicial bodies.