The leaders of Pierce County’s criminal justice agencies have come up with a vision of their future. And, they say, without more resources, new equipment, and upgraded computer systems and facilities, it looks troublesome.
“We know that the current population is under-served by the criminal justice system as it is currently constituted,” the 81-page report states. “Simply adding to the population side of the equation will certainly not improve the volume and the quantity of service.”
The report concludes that:
• The agencies – from the Sheriff’s Department to Juvenile Court to District Court – need to increase coordination and cooperation among themselves.
• The county needs to add technology to allow the agencies to share and transmit criminal justice information.
• Staffing and resources need to return to their pre-economic downturn levels and then increase as the population grows toward 1 million residents.
“Where we are now is not where we need to be,” said Sheriff Paul Pastor, who brought the criminal justice leaders together last year to craft the plan. “The question is, How will we see that it is met?”
The plan has no price tag or recommendations for how to finance the changes the agencies say are needed. That burden rests with the County Council and the county executive, who received copies of the plan this month.
“It’s a good body of work,” Executive Pat McCarthy said recently. “At least it lays a foundation for what are some of the challenges and what mitigates some of those challenges.”
McCarthy did point out that criminal justice work already accounts for 78 percent of the county’s $268 million in budget.
“We are investing heavily in those agencies,” she noted. “We really need to make sure we have a balance and also have dollars available for other services.”
County Councilman Dick Muri, who chairs the council’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee, said he’ll have the report presented to the committee and concrete recommendations made.
“It won’t become shelf art,” he said.
Pastor launched the effort to create the plan last May because he thought the county needed a broad, long-term plan for its criminal justice system.
During lunch breaks over the next six months, leaders of the Sheriff’s Department, the Prosecutor’s Office, Superior Court, District Court, Juvenile Court, the Medical Examiner’s Office, the court clerk and the Department of Assigned Counsel talked about current challenges, goals and problems they have now within the criminal justice system.
For the most part, the agencies said their biggest challenge is funding.
The county’s budget went from $286 million in 2008 to $268 million this year, prompting cuts in county departments. In the criminal justice agencies, those cuts have resulted in layoffs and furloughs.
Meanwhile, work increased, and state and federal mandates stacked up.
District Court officials pointed out that new programs such as Tacoma Narrows bridge tolls and law enforcement emphasis patrols have meant more work for court staff members.
Prosecutors have seen more complex cases and cases with multiple defendants. Juvenile Court has experienced a spike in dependency filings.
“When we are dealing with such high volumes, meaningful court hearings to gather information and assess the risk factors and make appropriate decisions are compromised,” according to the Juvenile Court section of the report.
“Getting clients into appropriate services can be difficult when service agencies are downsized due to budget constraints.”
The leaders talked about issues they could solve themselves. Ideas included:
• Designating a Sheriff’s Department contact to coordinate witnesses.
• Seeing that prosecutors are notified when supplemental reports are filed in criminal cases where charges already have been filed.
• Getting the Medical Examiner’s Office access to crime scene photos and police reports for deaths they are investigating.
• Filing documents electronically and crafting new forms for court actions.
“This is what each agency can deliver” without new money, Pastor said. “It has to be within the confines of the system, within the rules of the system and within the law.”
Judge Thomas Larkin attended the meetings on behalf of Superior Court. The experience led to better communication among the criminal justice agencies and also allows the agencies to work together in presenting their needs to the council and the executive, he noted.
“We need to communicate better to those with the money about what the needs are,” Larkin said.
Stacey Mulick: 253-597-8268 stacey.mulick@thenewstribune.com blog.thenewstribune.com/crime
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