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Friday, October 08, 2004
Indiana Courts - More on Clark County seeks to hire judge
Updating our entry from September 27th, the Louisville Courier-Journal reports today that:
An effort to hire a temporary judge in Clark County got initial approval last night from the county commissioners.The Board of Commissioners voted 3-0 for a resolution to authorize $20,000 in emergency funding for the project. Its main goal is to decrease the crowding at the county jail in downtown Jeffersonville.
Commissioner Vicky Kent Haire, the main proponent of the idea, said the temporary judge could work for any of the county's four courts, along with municipal courts in Jeffersonville, Clarksville, Sellersburg and Charlestown.
A temporary judge would speed up the judicial process, reducing the time inmates must wait before they complete a plea bargain or show up for a bond hearing.
The additional judge would be paid $25 a day for the work, which would be mainly on nights and weekends.
"If they get one prisoner out, they'll pay for themselves," Haire said, adding that each inmate costs the county about $35 a day. "This is kind of a no-brainer." * * *
Judge Steve Fleece of Clark Superior Court said the best solution to inmate crowding is the jail expansion, but he said he and other judges are "willing to try whatever else might help reduce the population."
He said a number of attorneys probably would be willing to serve as a temporary judge despite the low pay, Fleece said, as a public service or as a steppingstone to a campaign for a permanent judgeship.
Haire said that besides paying the judge, the county would have to provide money for a court reporter and security personnel.
She had received favorable comments about the plan from Circuit Judge Daniel Donahue and from Prosecutor Steve Stewart.
Scott Lewis, the commissioners' attorney, said the regular judges would be able to choose when to hire a pro-tem judge and how often to use the person. Multiple people could be hired, he said. Some of the judges already use pro-tem positions, he said, but they are paid out of the individual court budgets. * * *
Creating another permanent position for a judge would be far more complex and expensive. The process typically involves a recommendation from a state court commission and a vote by the Indiana General Assembly.
Jane Seigel, executive director of the Indiana Judicial Center, said she was not aware of other attempts in the state to reduce crowding through the hiring of pro-tem judges. "It's obviously a very creative approach," she said of Clark County's effort.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 8, 2004 07:04 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts