The state Unified Court System is on the road to reform in the shadow of a New York Times report that exposed weaknesses in rural town and village proceedings.
The “Action Plan for the Justice Courts” was unveiled in November 2006 and some of the first steps were taken in last month.
“The Action Plan is a bold initiative to bring the town and village courts more into the fold through training and technology,” OCA Director of Communications David Bookstaver said. “Some of the action has already been implemented. We now have a system of supervision judges across the state.”
The plan aims to unify the state's 1,300 justice courts, tighten financial oversight, offer more training and increase security.
“I think it will make these rural courts more accountable and more transparent,” Bookstaver said. “It's helping to standardize the level of justice.”
The OCA recently announced the appointment of supervising judges in each of the state's judicial districts. At least $10 million has been set aside to fund initiatives such as putting computers in every courtroom.
The state Legislature is looking into reform, as well. Several court officials and legal professionals offered their view of the justice courts situation to the state Senate's Judiciary Committee at the end of January.
The session was the first of several expected to convene in the coming months, said state Sen. Mike Nozzolio, R-Fayette, who sits on the committee.
“I think you're going to see a broader review of the entire court system over the next year or so,” Nozzolio said. “The debate is just beginning.”
The next steps, and the source of funding for initiatives, is yet to come, he said.
The OCA will ask for $10 million to fund its initiatives statewide and legislation that would raise the cap for grants from the Justice Court Assistance Program from $20,000 to $30,000, according to the Action Plan.
Other legislative requests in the plan include increasing the penalty for threatening judges or compromising court security and a law allowing justices to live anywhere within their county or neighboring county instead of just the town of jurisdiction.
“The Action Plan is a bold initiative to bring the town and village courts more into the fold through training and technology,” OCA Director of Communications David Bookstaver said. “Some of the action has already been implemented. We now have a system of supervision judges across the state.”
The plan aims to unify the state's 1,300 justice courts, tighten financial oversight, offer more training and increase security.
“I think it will make these rural courts more accountable and more transparent,” Bookstaver said. “It's helping to standardize the level of justice.”
The OCA recently announced the appointment of supervising judges in each of the state's judicial districts. At least $10 million has been set aside to fund initiatives such as putting computers in every courtroom.
The state Legislature is looking into reform, as well. Several court officials and legal professionals offered their view of the justice courts situation to the state Senate's Judiciary Committee at the end of January.
The session was the first of several expected to convene in the coming months, said state Sen. Mike Nozzolio, R-Fayette, who sits on the committee.
“I think you're going to see a broader review of the entire court system over the next year or so,” Nozzolio said. “The debate is just beginning.”
The next steps, and the source of funding for initiatives, is yet to come, he said.
The OCA will ask for $10 million to fund its initiatives statewide and legislation that would raise the cap for grants from the Justice Court Assistance Program from $20,000 to $30,000, according to the Action Plan.
Other legislative requests in the plan include increasing the penalty for threatening judges or compromising court security and a law allowing justices to live anywhere within their county or neighboring county instead of just the town of jurisdiction.
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