A bi-objective scheduling-sharing optimization model for criminal court planning under uncertainty

This research brings in a new scheme for organizing and scheduling the handling of criminal cases in a judiciary system. To achieve this, an unparalleled, bi-objective mathematical model is developed for scheduling criminal cases in various courts and prosecutor’s offices. This involves taking into account a wide range of practical processes and characteristics, including how judicial cases are organized, the variety of lawsuits and their related cases, judges with various specializations, specialized courtrooms, the frequency of case reviews in courts, the priority of cases, the permissible waiting times for investigation of crimes, the completion of investigation, issuance of indictment, handling cases, rendering verdicts, and the filing of objections. What is more, owing to the large number and diversity of cases, a sharing approach is incorporated into the scheduling process to provide an equitable burden across the courts’ chambers. Additionally, the set-induced robust optimization method is employed to address the uncertainty of the case handling time, which is an indisputable issue in designing such a task. Lastly, the validity and application of the suggested model are demonstrated by an analysis of a real case study of Iran’s judiciary system. Findings showed that the sharing approach can decrease surplus service capacity by 28%.