April 26, 2000
Betty Jo DeForest, Chair
Jackson County Board of Commissioners
120 W. Michigan Ave.
Jackson, MI 49201
Dear Madam Chair:
The following is the 1999 Annual Report for the 12th District Court. The report summarizes the activities of the 12th District Court for the calendar year of 1999. The information is intended for informational purposes regarding the judicial business of the district court.
FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT:
The 12th District Court collected a total of approximately $6,400,000 in fines, costs and fees. Of that amount, $4,113,607 (64.2%) was deposited in the County General Fund. $1,440,977 (22.50%) was collected for distribution to the State of Michigan. $352,590 (5.50%) was collected for distribution to the Jackson County Library. Approximately $500,000 (7.8%) was collected for the various municipalities in Jackson County (see Appendix)
REVENUE:
|
|
COLLECTED |
BUDGETED |
PERCENT |
|
GENERAL FUND DISTRICT COURT 101-136 |
$3,919,718 |
$3,795,339 |
103.28% |
|
GENERAL FUND INTENSIVE PROBATION 101-279 |
$117,360 |
$107,980 |
108.69% |
|
GENERAL FUND PUBLIC DEFENDER 101-230-689.080 |
$76,529 |
$64,000 |
119.580% |
|
TOTAL |
$4,113,607.00 |
$3,967,319.00 |
103.69% |
$182,900 State Judges
Supplement is not included in the District Court General Fund (101-136)
Collected and Budgeted figures.
Overall, the court
collected almost one million dollars ($966,806) more than in 1998. Compared to 1998, the court deposited
$410,230 more in the General Fund in 1999.
The single most important factor that contributed to the increased
revenue was a significant increase in the number of traffic citations filed
with the court during 1999. Court
records show that there were 9,314 more traffic citations filed with the court
compared to the previous year.
The Intensive
Supervision Program once again proved to be self supported as revenue
($117,630) exceeded expenses ($93,866) by $23,764. The program was expanded to include the circuit court in July
after the Jail Overcrowding Committee made a recommendation for expansion.
EXPENSES:
|
|
EXPENDED |
BUDGETED |
PERCENT |
|
DISTRICT COURT 101-136 |
$2,537,298 |
$2,610,319 |
97.20% |
|
INTENSIVE PROBATION 101-279 |
$93,866 |
$130,690 |
71.82% |
|
PUBLIC DEFENDER 101-230-800.000 |
$97,705 |
$100,000 |
97.70% |
|
CAPITAL OUTLAY 402-978 |
$231,034 |
$253,840 |
91.02% |
|
VEHICLES 402-979 |
$48,245 |
$52,800 |
91.37% |
|
TOTAL |
$3,008,148.00 |
$3,147,649.00 |
95.57% |
FILE MANAGEMENT:
The court opened 70,713 new cases in 1999. This figure represents a significant increase of cases (9463) from 1998. The following represents the case filings for 1996, 1997, 1998 and 1999.
|
OFFENSE |
1996 |
1997 |
1998 |
1999 |
Difference from 98 |
|
Criminal Felony |
1171 |
1384 |
1384 |
1372 |
-12 |
|
Criminal Misdemeanor |
4778 |
5111 |
4836 |
5134 |
298 |
|
OUIL Felony |
69 |
73 |
84 |
106 |
22 |
|
OUIL Misdemeanor |
953 |
1115 |
1087 |
1081 |
-6 |
|
Traffic Misdemeanor |
7720 |
8579 |
8442 |
10219 |
1777 |
|
Civil Infractions |
38628 |
38619 |
37725 |
45262 |
7537 |
|
Non-Traffic Civil Inf. |
115 |
1 |
2 |
8 |
2 |
|
General Civil |
2262 |
2776 |
3236 |
2870 |
-366 |
|
Small Claims |
2080 |
1875 |
1955 |
1770 |
-185 |
|
Summary Proceedings |
1950 |
2021 |
2285 |
2565 |
280 |
|
Parking |
245 |
347 |
214 |
270 |
56 |
|
Peace Bonds |
208 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
0 |
|
TOTALS |
60179 |
61901 |
61250 |
70713 |
9463 |
CIVIL DIVISION:
District court judges and magistrates performed 280 weddings in 1999. The division witnessed an increase in collection activity on civil cases. Garnishment activity increased by 10.47% in 1999. The court issued 22% more Writs of Executions in 1999.
In November of 1999, the civil division embarked on a case processing benchmarking project. The goal of the project is to gather information from other district courts in the State of Michigan regarding caseload, staff size and average turn around time for the issuance of new suits. Once the data is collected and analyzed the division will establish case processing standards.
The 12th District Court Collection Program had another outstanding year in 1999. The program is credited with collecting over 1 million dollars ($1,098,087) in outstanding fines and costs for the district court and circuit/family court.
The Collections department surpassed its 1999 goal of $850,000 by $46,794. The previous year’s goal was $650,000. The total amount collected by the department in 1999 was $896,794. The court, being serious about the collection of fines and costs and holding individuals accountable for their actions, aggressively pursues delinquent cases. In an effort to collect from scofflaws, the court has contracted with Court Services, Inc. Court Services, Inc. is a private collection firm that performs field investigative work. Court Services, Inc. collected $201,293 for the court’s external collection program.
The table listed on the next page shows the amount the collections department collected for each court as well as the total amount collected by Court Services, Inc.
The increase in the collection rate is attributed to an increase in the overall caseload of the department and revisions and improvements in the manner in which cases were assigned to collections for enforcement. The increase in traffic filings and the addition of a collection officer in the first quarter of 1999 greatly assisted the department in surpassing its collection goal.
The 12th District Court Collection Program received national recognition in 1999 by the National Association of Counties. The court was given an Achievement Award for taking an innovative approach regarding the collection of delinquent fines in cost owed to the court.
|
INTERNAL COLLECTIONS |
|
|
District Court |
$885,521 |
|
Circuit Court |
$7,681 |
|
Family (Juvenile) |
$3,592 |
TOTAL INTERNAL COLLECTIONS |
$896,794 |
|
EXTERNAL COLLECTIONS |
|
|
Court Services Inc. |
$201,293 |
TOTAL EXTERNAL COLLECTIONS |
$201,293 |
TOTAL |
$1,098,087 |
The Collections Department has implemented a collection program for circuit/family court. A significant amount of time was spent on the development of the parameters and protocols for circuit/family court collections. Throughout 1999, collection rates have improved somewhat for circuit/family court matters. The relocation of Juvenile Court to the courthouse has allowed for better communication between the collection department and juvenile court regarding collection matters. The court is continually reviewing its collection procedures and practices in the circuit/family court in an effort to make improvements to the program.
In 1999, the 12th District Court began entering all warrants into the Law Enforcement Information Network (LEIN). LEIN is a computerized communications system for law enforcement agencies. In the past, when the court issued a warrant, it was sent to the respective police agency to be entered into LEIN. To have the warrant removed from LEIN, the court would have to contact the respective police agency and request to have the warrant removed from LEIN. The police agency would then forward the warrant to the court. Typically, the warrant would be returned to the court within 1 to 3 business days. Sometimes, the warrants were not removed from LEIN at the request of the court and defendants were arrested on warrants that were no longer valid. The court now enters all warrants into LEIN and has the ability to remove warrants from LEIN. This process has greatly reduced the potential liability for lawsuits resulting from false arrest. In addition, LEIN entry by the court has reduced the amount of paper work for both the court and law enforcement agencies.
The Jail Overcrowding Committee recommended that district court judges accept pleas for felony matters where the defendant was incarcerated and unable to post bond. A joint local administrative order was presented to the State Court Administrative Office for approval. The order was approved in April and the court began the process of accepting felony pleas in the district court. Cases eligible for felony pleas in the district court are moved through the judicial system quicker. Thus, defendants are not spending as much time in jail prior to sentencing.
The deputy clerks continued the cross training process that was implemented in 1998. Cross training has been helpful in reducing the level of stress for employees during periods of employee absences. In addition, it broadens the employee’s knowledge of the department and enhances the over all function of the criminal department and court.
PROBATION DIVISION:
In 1999 the 12th District Court Probation Department conducted 2,081 pre-sentence investigations. The judges referred approximately 175 individuals/month to the department for an in-depth interview and investigation prior to sentencing.
In June of 1999, an additional intensive supervision probation officer was added after the Jail Overcrowding Committee recommended that the program be expanded to the circuit court in an effort to ease jail-overcrowding conditions. From June through December, 22 defendants were referred to the program by the circuit court.
The intensive supervision program had another successful year. It is estimated that the program saved 9,512 jail beds days. The savings from deferring incarceration is estimated to be $332, 920 ($35.00/jail bed day). There were a total of 170 participants supervised through out the year, which is an increase of 35% from 1998. Of the 170 participants, 130 participants successfully completed the program without incident. Thus, the program violation rate was 23.53 % for 1999, reflecting an increase of 13.53% from 1998. Of the 40 participants who violated the terms and conditions of the program, four were sentenced to a maximum jail sentence. The remaining 36 participants had there intensive supervision program extended or received a short jail term and were continued on the program.
In 1999, the entire probation staff was equipped with new computers. Voice recognition software was purchased and installed on the probation officers’ computers. The software is used to dictate pre-sentence investigation reports and will eventually eliminate the need for transcription by support staff.
The probation department continued to assist Mothers Against Drunk Driving with the monthly Victims Impact Panel Program and the Jackson County Intermediate School District with the Reducing the Underage Drinking Program. 319 individuals attended the Victim Impact Panel in 1999. The Reducing the Underage Drinking Program is presented to each high school in Jackson County during the school year.
The department continues to offer different sentencing alternatives for defendants, including intensive supervision and electronic monitoring. Electronic monitoring includes ankle tether, visual tether with on-site preliminary breath tests and watch patrol. Both the intensive supervision program and electronic monitoring were utilized more frequently in 1999 due to the
jail-overcrowding problem.
The traffic department set a record for the number of traffic filings received in 1999. Approximately 10,000 additional traffic citations were received compared to 1998.
New hardware was purchased in 1999 that allowed for a more efficient office. An additional cash register was added, bringing the total to five. The additional cash register allows for more financial transactions to occur simultaneously. A commercial printer was purchased specifically to generate forms and reports. The new printer allows for personnel to access the department’s main printer for caseload activity. Previously, the main printer was also used for the generation of reports and forms. Thus, personnel could not access the printer when reports and forms jobs were running.
The department began an investigation into the benefits of an interactive voice response (IVR) system. As a result of the investigation, the court will be requesting funding for an IVR system in the district court. The IVR system will allow individuals access to payment information and court related information 24 hours a day.
The department began utilizing an automated telephone attendant. This enables the department to provide departmental information to the public over the telephone 24 hours a day.
The department continues to look for ways to handle the increase in filings by searching for ways to add staff at little or no cost to the county. The department continued to utilize grant funding from the Jackson Traffic Safety Program in 1999. The grant pays for a 20-hour/week employee with a 25% local match. In addition, the court continued to utilize the Job Training and Retention Program offered by New City Resources. This program finds employment for high school students and pays for a full-time employment during the summer. The program does not cost the county any money.
The filing system was reorganized and new procedures were established to create a more efficient filing system.
The administration of the court met with local police agencies to discuss traffic related issues and to facilitate better communication between the court and law enforcement agencies. The meeting generated discussion and the formation of a committee that is investigating electronic ticket entry from patrol vehicles. This would result in the electronic transfer of traffic ticket information to the court.
When the county upgraded the AS400 system, the department was able to print clearances for driver license suspensions issued by the court. Thus, information no longer has to be typewritten.
New recorder tape cabinets were purchased to store court recordings and log sheets. Each locking cabinet holds approximately 1000 tapes and court log sheets. The records of courtroom proceedings are now kept in a secure environment.
New printers and computers were purchased for the recorders and court officers. The hardware has provided for better customer service. Customers leave court proceedings with printed documents indicating the next course of action with their case. In addition, cases can now be updated and closed in all of the four courtrooms. This has eliminated some work for other divisions of the court.
PUBLIC
RELATIONS AND INFORMATION:
The 12th District Court Casual Dress Committee collected $805.00 from employees participating in the Casual Dress Day Program. The money benefits needy families in the Jackson area. As in the past, the committee selected to sponsor three families from the AWARE Shelter. For the first
time, the court sponsored two families from the Salvation Army and provided gifts for two teenagers from the Department on Aging’s Grandparent Christmas Program. Since its inception in 1996, the Casual Dress Day Program has generated approximately $4000.00 to be given back to the community of Jackson.
In 1999, the administration of the court presented the court’s customer service-training program as a part of County Quality I… Employee Training. In addition, the program was presented to the employees of 63rd District Court (Kent Co.) in July. In September, the court presented the program at a Michigan Judicial Institute seminar in Lansing for new Friend of the Court employees.
CLOSING:
On behalf of the administration of the court, I would like to express our gratitude to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners for the allocation of funds for new workstations for our employees. 42 new workstations were installed in the district court. The purchase of the workstations has positively impacted employee morale. Employees now have workstations that are ergonomically correct and are designed to promote work efficiency. The new workstations have brought a professional look to the court.
This report is an attempt to provide to the Jackson County Board of Commissioners with a summary of district court activity during 1999. The administration of the district court recognizes the dedication and hard work exemplified by the employees of the district court. Their dedication and hard work have contributed significantly to the efficient operation of the 12th district court.
The administration of the court would like thank the Jackson County Board of Commissioners and Chet Taraskiewicz, County Administrator for their continued support of 12th District Court Operations. We at the court will continue to strive to be a model district court in the State of Michigan and would like to thank those who have contributed to our success thus far.
This report and
other information is made available accessing the 12th District
Court’s website at www.d12.com.
Respectfully Submitted,
Michael J. Dillon
Court Administrator
cc: Hon. Charles Falahee, Jr.
Hon. Lysle G. Hall
Hon. James M. Justin
Hon. Carlene G. Lefere
Chet Taraskiewicz, County Administrator
DeAnn Gumbert, Chair, County Agencies