Tompkins court inefficiencies costly for taxpayers
Taxpayers are regularly losing money for indigent defenders' travel time and courtroom waits
Tompkins court inefficiencies costly for taxpayers Taxpayers are regularly losing money for indigent defenders' travel time and courtroom waits Check out this story on ithacajournal.com: https://ithacajr.nl/1XIoedg
Andrew Casler, acasler@ithacajournal.com | @AndrewCasler Published 8:10 p.m. ET Dec. 2, 2015 | Updated 7:28 a.m. ET Dec. 4, 2015
Photo Illustration(Photo: GETTY IMAGES)
Town justices are inconsistent, and taxpayers are regularly losing money for indigent defenders' travel time and courtroom waits, according to testimony the Tompkins County Municipal Courts Task Force heard Wednesday night.
The task force is looking for potential improvements to the local justice system and investigating whether centralization could replace town and village courts. About eight people attended the meeting.
Assigned Counsel Program coordinator Julia Hughes initiated Wednesday's discussion.
She said it has "pained" her to hear past testimony at the task force.
Hughes respects "most of the town justices," and knows they are dedicated to community and being fair-minded, she said.
"But unfortunately, this is also a position where ego and power have come into play — some of the comments may have been blunt and hurtful, but all of them have been true and accurate," she added.
Hughes added that some justices require jail time for all people who plead guilty to DWI.
"I'm sorry to say, but that's not justice; it is a policy," Hughes said.
Hughes added that mileage and travel time for assigned counsel program lawyers costs taxpayers about $50,000 a year for Monday night courts alone. Bus schedules often don't mesh with town and village court schedules for clients, she said.
Attorneys are billing taxpayers while they wait in court for their case to be called, which can be about an hour to three hours at $60 to $75 per hour, Hughes added.
"When you have 15 to 20 attorneys waiting in the audience to be called, these numbers can add up quickly," Hughes said.
Ithaca attorney Lance Salisbury said judges tend to be decent people who work hard, but local courts need to be consolidated.
"Unfortunately, we have great disparity and inequity between the courts in the county ... and that undermines the system as a whole," Salisbury said.
He added that inequity in the way litigants are treated makes it harder for people to accept jail sentences and fines.
Some town justices don't understand the law, but they still have the power to put people in jail, Hughes said.
"We need a dedicated court that will cover all jailable and bailable offenses, and follow them through until the end of the action," she said.
A common argument from local justices is that they know their communities better than any district judge could.
Hughes countered, saying most people don't know anything about their local courts or what judges are doing on the bench.
Salisbury added that some town and village courts won't accept partial payments for fines.
"If you're indigent or the working poor — where you qualify for assigned counsel — I've had DWI clients who owe $1,200 to $1,400, and the judge says, 'You have 60 days to pay that,'" Salisbury said. "There's no way that they can have those funds themselves."
The task force's next meeting is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Gov. Tompkins Building, 121 E. Court St. The group plans to take stock of the testimony they have heard so far and plot out their future focus.
Obama mourns passing of Saudi king
Follow Andrew Casler on Twitter: @AndrewCasler.
Read or Share this story: https://ithacajr.nl/1XIoedg
Man and woman accused of several burglaries