Cuts could cause court congestion
From our weekly issue dated August 05, 2009
State budget cuts soon could complicate the efforts of judges to keep their courts running smoothly.
The topic was brought up by Josephine County Circuit Court Judge Lindi Baker during the Thursday, July 30 meeting of the Local Public Safety Coordinating Council (LPSCC) at Grants Pass City Hall.
Baker said that she expected to get the final figures from Salem sometime this week. She said that although the funding reductions won’t be as deep as she had anticipated when LPSCC last met in May, they will result in the elimination of staff positions.
“We’re looking at very severe budget cuts with the state courts,” Baker said. “There is no light at the end of the tunnel for us right now.”
Casualties of the cuts could include the court’s indigent verification officer and the compensated pro-tempore judge program, Baker said. The judicial program has been around since 2002, and Baker said that it has helped the courts reduce caseloads.
She said that the courts are still short on judicial resources, even with that program in place. She stated that local prosecutors would have three years worth of cases in front of them right now, even if no additional arrests were made in the county during that time.
“Everyone is working double time and trying to get on top of that,” Baker said.
County officials also are bracing for the potential effects of other legislative actions.
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On June 27, legislators agreed to postpone many of the requirements of Measure 57 for 18 months. That law, passed by voters in November 2008, establishes mandatory minimum sentences for repeat drug dealers and property crime offenders.
Baker said that the decision might result in some cases coming back to the courts, which could strain the system.
“There is always an impact,” she said, adding that “the expense has been transferred” from the state to the local level.
Abe Huntley, Community Justice director, said that the delayed implementation of Measure 57 spared his department from any major cuts. But despite that, Huntley said that a hiring freeze has been instituted in case further cuts have to be made at the state level.
The next LPSCC meeting is scheduled for Sept. 24.
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