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Monday, March 13, 2006
Ind. Courts - Clinton Superior Court Judge Kathy Smith featured
The Frankfort Times has a story by Martha Fulkerson on a talk Clinton Superior Court Judge Kathy Smith gave last Friday to the Frankfort Rotary Club. Some quotes:
Smith has served on the bench for more than 20 years. She said the court processes an estimated 2,500 cases annually and operates on a $200,000 budget, which includes allotment for pauper attorney fees.“The purpose of the court is not to bring in a profit,” she said. “The real purpose is to resolve conflict.”
Despite what is seen on TV, jury trials in Smith’s courtroom are rarely a necessary way to help people work out their problems. Plea agreements, bench trials and guilty pleas are the three most common ways of bringing closure to a case, she said.
Smith said that in her job it is difficult to take testimony from the two sides and find the truth, since people will believe what they want to.
“When we talk about crime, it’s all a matter of perception and we all see things through our own rose-colored glasses,” she said.
Presenting an example, Smith told an anecdote about an experience in law school when students were asked to describe the suspect in a staged crime. The class gave various descriptions of the suspect’s weapon. None, however, guessed correctly. The subject was waving a banana.
Perception is different, too, when it comes to her decision, Smith noted. Many times, victims’ families think the courts are too lenient in imposing sentences; whereas defendants’ relatives think they are too harsh.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on March 13, 2006 04:51 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts