The productivity of the largest Brazilian courts

Or Justice in Numbers demonstrates that the average cost of expenses per inhabitant in large state courts (equivalent to R$ 279.70) is less than half of the expense of a medium-sized court. In other words, there is an economy of scale in the Judiciary, which is why any indicator generated by the average has only relative value.

As an example, at the state level, the large courts are, in this order: São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná and Rio Grande do Sul. In fact, such states tend to be more productive, in the sense that each inhabitant costs a relatively low amount compared to the judicial budget. However, what stands out is how the Federal District (which has its Judiciary maintained by the Union) is much more expensive than the average:

Another interesting aspect, still concerning the differences between different spheres and states, is that Court fees vary widely . For example, according to the latest report, Minas Gerais, São Paulo, Goiás and Mato Grosso collected, on average, more than R$ 1.6 thousand per distributed process . In contrast, the Federal District collected R$ 240.69 and Alagoas collected R$ 141.65 per distributed process.

These are some examples of how delicate it is to make comparisons by average. After all, the size of the courts varies greatly, as well as their efficiency in terms of allocated budget. In the same way, the collection of legal costs varies enormously by state, making any comparison by the average only an approximation, a starting point for reflection.