MARICOPA COUNTY JUSTICE SYSTEM ACTIVITIES REPORT CALENDAR YEAR 1997 Maricopa County Superior Court ABOUT THE ACTIVITIES REPORT Total Case Filings by Department January - December 1997 Welcome to the Activities Report for the justice and law enforcement entities of Maricopa County. Each department provides the following to communicate the magnitude of their contribution to the county justice system. The focus for this edition is to review calendar year 1997 data. We want the Report to be valuable to all readers, so please offers suggestions to department representatives. Criminal 19% Tax Less Than 1% Domestic Relations 27% CLERK OF THE COURT Civil 27% Probate/Mental Health 7% Court Department Dave Forde JANUARY - DECEMBER 1997 NEW CASES INITIATED Juvenile 18% Civil 32,625 Domestic Relations 29,560 Criminal 21,291 1995 1996 1997 Civil 28,591 28,880 31,158 Probate and Mental Health 6,676 Criminal 16,912 19,203 21,191 Appeals Filed 1,193 Domestic Relations 30,501 30,097 30,962 Probate/Mental Health 6,290 7,871 7,877 Juvenile 14,481 18,094 21,104* Tax Court 3,831 2,883 1,893 Totals** 100,606 107,028 114,185 SUBSEQUENT CASE DOCUMENTS Kirstin Wolfe ENCOUNTERS 1996 1997 %Change Medical 44,797 44,729 -1% Nursing 133,158 153,657 +15% Psychiatry 8,312 11,672 +40% Counseling 7,438 11,235 +51% Dental 4,538 4,880 +1% Medical Requests Prescriptions X-rays 69,335 90,093 +30% 111,502 138,899 +25% 3,222 5,049 +57% Maricopa County Justice System Activities Report 464,426 Domestic Relations 587,234 Criminal 443,419 Probate and Mental Health 108,596 JUVENILE PETITIONS * Estimate **Above totals do not include filings for subsequent proceedings which occur in the case number, i.e., post judgment debtor examinations, post conviction relief filings, domestic relations modification/enforcement or probate annual and other periodic orders. CORRECTIONAL HEALTH Civil Delinquency 15,587 Dependency 1,333 Adoption 700 Severance 629 Adoption Certificates 660 OTHER WORKLOAD INDICATORS # of Marriage Licenses Issued 15,168 # of Passports Issued 31,364 # of Notary Bonds Apps Processed 11,805 # of Documents Docketed 2,063,755 DID YOU KNOW? # of Images Microfilmed 5,067,102 # of Exhibits Processed 75,895 # and $ Amount of Child Support Payments Processed 1,020,028 $210,502,297 # and $ Amount of Restitutions, Fines and Reimbursements Payments Processed # of Minute Entries Distributed 47,148 $5,035,696 5,464,403 Calendar Year 1997 ACTIVITIES REPORT 2 SHERIFF’S OFFICE Linda Christophel COUNTY ATTORNEY Carol McFadden JANUARY - DECEMBER 1997 Bookings: % of Total Total 81.9% .8% 4.0% .2% .5% 12.6% 95,984 896 4,717 267 485 14,796 Local Police Agencies Federal Agencies County Agencies Ariz. State Agencies All Other Self Surrenders: City Court Justice Court Superior Court Total CASE FILINGS AS OF DECEMBER 1997 ADULT FILINGS 3000 2750 Defendants District deputies began writing departmental reports on 120 laptop computers supplied by a grant through the Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), U.S. Department of Justice. A special software application was developed for the Enforcement Bureau allowing officers to remain in the community to complete reports. 2250 2000 1750 1500 Jan Average Length of Stay: 4,918 994 531 29 6,472 Total Bonds/Fines Processed Total Canteen Sales Total # Meals Served # of Warrants Received # Civil Process Received # Subpoenas Served # Tax Bills Collected $ Tax Bills Collected Domestic Violence Orders Received Total # Posse Members Total # Reserve Officers Maricopa County Justice System Activities Report Nov Jan 1997 1200 1100 1000 900 800 700 600 Feb 7,134 Apr June Month 1996 Aug Oct Dec 1997 20.94 Days Total Prisoners Transported: Superior Court Justice Courts Interfacility Total Sep 1300 Inmate Population High Count: October 4, 1997 July JUVENILE PETITIONS FILED 117,145 DR per Defendant 76.0% 15.4% 8.2% .4% May 1996 9,935 2,517 2,344 100% Mar Month Average Daily Inmate Population by Category: Felony Misdemeanor Agency Hold Misc. Total 2500 68,198 19,929 365,520 453,647 $12,335,644 $3,306,734 8,978,344 47,749 43,699 18,032 22,341 $11,918,709 17,617 2,990 177 While the number of cases filed flucuates from month to month, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office continues to see an increase in the number of cases filed: • The number of felony cases filed against adult offenders increased 10.2% in 1997 over 1996; • The number of delinquency petitions filed against juvenile offenders increased 17.7% in 1997 as compared to 1996. In 1997, the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office initiated several new programs: • In July, the Office implemented a case processing delay reduction policy called the Plea Cut-Off Policy. By December, the Criminal Trial Division experienced a significant increase in the number of criminal cases reaching disposition - resulting in a 24% reduction in the Superior Court caseloads. • In October, the Office hosted a half-day seminar attended by over 200 criminal justice professionals, to introduce the Maricopa County Family Violence Protocol. The Protocol became effective on January 1, 1998. Calendar Year 1997 ACTIVITIES REPORT 3 ADULT PROBATION Mark Hendershot JUSTICE COURTS IMPACTING COLLECTIONS The Adult Probation Department has continued to make collection of court ordered monetary obligations a priority, with results showing success. New strategies have increased the collection of restitution by 35% compared to 1996 totals and improved probation service fee collection to 26%. The Department continues to explore new approaches to collections and expects further success in 1998. Restitution and PSF Collection Comparison Bonnie Dicus 1997 HIGHLIGHTS • New Justice Court precinct boundary changes became effective January 1, 1997. Because of workload shifts, resources had to be realigned to compensate for changes in filings. • Two newly elected Justices of the Peace assumed the bench: Andrew Gastelum in Maryvale, and Lester Pearce in North Mesa. • The newly appointed administrator, Jeffrey Huss, began work January 1. Dave Davis was also appointed as the new Automation Director. • Work began on system wide policy and procedure manuals. • The Fines Management automated system was integrated with the Justice Court automated system, eliminating duplicate data entry while providing the court a more comprehensive defendant record. $5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000 $0 1996 Restitution 1997 Probation Service Fees 10% INCREASE IN PRESENTENCE REPORTS The Presentence Division continues to reel from the growth felt system-wide in criminal cases. While annual growth in orders for Presentence reports had previously averaged 7%, 1997 increased a full 10%. Third Quarter growth was phenomenal with a 30% increase above the same quarter in 1996. • The Fines Management program received a state Judicial Collection Enhancement Fund grant to conduct a pilot project involving a warrant sweep for those defendants who had a warrant for failure to pay their fines. Five courts volunteered to participate in the project. Both Maricopa County Deputy Sheriffs and Constables were involved. • Two additional courts enlisted security coverage during this period, bringing the total number of courts with guards to six courts in five locations. • Two innovative sentencing programs began during the year, in attempt to intervene and change behavior for defendants found guilty in domestic violence or DUI cases. • Justice Court Automation was awarded grants: one to install a new network, allowing migration to a networked PC environment, yielding a technologically integrated court system; the other, a pilot for document imaging management. COMPARISON OF CASE FILINGS 16,000 14,000 Civil Small Claims Forcible Detainer Felony Misdemeanor Criminal Traffic Civil Traffic Domestic Violence Harassment 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 1996 1st Quarter 1997 2nd Quarter 3rd Quarter Maricopa County Justice System Activities Report 4th Quarter 1996 1997 16,724 18,258 47,871 21,429 19,306 28,774 174,871 5,038 4,362 17,077 18,847 50,888 22,618 20,913 26,305 160,881 5,635 4,910 % CHANGE 2% 3% 6% 5% 8% -9% -9% 11% 11% JUSTICE COURT FINES MANAGEMENT COLLECTIONS Cases Worked Collected 1996 1997 24,019 $6,195,089 22,920 $7,034,534 % CHANGE -5% 12% Calendar Year 1997 ACTIVITIES REPORT 4 JUVENILE COURT Gary Graham PROBATION SERVICES The Arizona Supreme Court funded an additional 31 probation officer positions this quarter that will allow the Probation Department to comply with the caseload ratio requirements, 35 cases per one probation officer. PETITIONS FILED WITH JUVENILE COURT The following reflects the number of petitions filed in the Juvenile Court from January through December 1997: Delinquency Dependency Severance Adoption 15,951 1,357 507 781 Total Filed 18,596 STRETCHING 277 DETENTION BEDS Lack of space in detention continues to create a challenge in the Juvenile Court Center. The graph below illustrates that ‘requests’ for detention of juveniles has increased in the first 6 months of 1997 compared to the same time frame in 1996. Additionally, the next column illustrates the number of juveniles physically detained in 1997. In every case the number of youth detained is less than the number of requests that were received. Although the most serious juvenile offenders will always be detained, the far right column indicates the Court is unable to detain every juvenile who is recommended for detainment because of a lack of space. Monies have been allocated to relieve some of the chronic overcrowded conditions in detention. $1.7 million is allocated to add 40 beds to the Durango Detention Center. An additional $1.3 million has been allocated by the State, which will increase the expansion to 80 beds. The project is expected to be completed in 18 months. This addition will not solve the overcrowded conditions in the detention centers, but will offer some short-term relief. Requests to Detain Individuals January February March April May June July August September October November December Totals Juveniles Actually Detained 1996 1997 1996 1997 987 968 1,087 936 941 880 882 938 957 1,027 956 904 11,463 949 935 1,035 1,065 1,049 942 985 1,035 1,063 1,087 999 971 12,115 867 844 951 802 802 779 782 838 825 879 841 798 9,992 855 933 906 898 898 821 858 919 916 956 871 859 10,648 Maricopa County Justice System Activities Report INDIGENT REPRESENTATION Diane Terribile ADJUSTED GROSS ASSIGNMENTS JANUARY THROUGH DECEMBER 1997 LEGAL DEFENDER Homicides* Specified Crimes Against Children2 * 47 21 Other Felonies* 1,614 3 Probation Revocations * 74 3 Misdemeanors * 45 PUBLIC DEFENDER Homicides* 141 SCAC’s* (Specified Crimes Against Children) 254 Other Felonies* 20,807 Probation Revocations* 7,949 Misdemeanors* 4,435 Delinquencies** 9,834.5 Juvenile Appeals*** 36 Appeals*** 434 Post-Conviction Reliefs*** 223 Appeal/Post-Conviction Reliefs*** 690 Mental Health**** 1,482 OFFICE OF COURT APPOINTED COUNSEL Major Felonies 118 2nd Chair Death Penalty Sexual Predators 1 12 Felonies 3,262 Delinquencies 3,845 Appeals Post-Conviction Reliefs 53 309 * Gross Assignments have been adjusted and do not include cases in which no complaint was filed. No credit is taken for any assignments which resulted in a withdrawal due to conflict or the retention of private counsel, if that withdrawal occurred at the Justice Court level. No credit taken for cases from which the office withdrew citing excessive workload. ** In addition to deductions to gross assignments stated above, Report and Review assignments in Juvenile are counted as only one-half case. *** PCR’s and Appeal/PCR’s are counted by CR# rather than by # of petitions. Deductions were made for withdrawals due to the retention of private counsel or conflict of interest. Additionally, no credit is taken for cases withdrawn due to excessive workloads. **** No deductions are made from gross assignments. Calendar Year 1997 ACTIVITIES REPORT 5 SUPERIOR COURT Janet Cornell CRIMINAL CASE MANAGEMENT IN 1997 • The use of Settlement Conferences for criminal cases was implemented in February 1997, intended to speed case processing and conclude cases without costly and time consuming trials. • Expedited Case Processing for Justice Court Bindovers continues, with a special process to speed paperwork processing and calendaring of Superior Court arraignment proceedings. Results include decreases in time from preliminary hearing to arraignment, down from 18 days to 9 days per case. • Specialized Calendars have been created and utilized in criminal case processing - including special plea and sentencing calendars. Results have allowed cases to be diverted from Superior Court judges to court commissioners to expedite hearing times and increase time in trial. • The Criminal Department has increased the publication and use of statistical analyses of cases and case processing. Included was a “Reverse Telescope Study” which evaluated stages at which criminal cases were disposed, assessed reasons for delay and determined how the disposition type affects length of stay. • Bond Forfeiture efforts continued via the bond forfeiture calendar, whereby calendar and monitoring processes capture bail jumpers and collect bond money. Program results have included increased revenue to the general fund, decreased number of bench warrants, and increased system coordination of this caseload. FELONY FILINGS AND TRANSFERS 1997 21,265 19,203 1996 16,912 1995 FELONY AND OTHER STATISTICS Defendants IA’d IA Felonies Heard* PreTrial, Pre-IA Interviews Felony Filings Jury Trials Post-Conviction Reliefs Filed 1995 1996 1997 96-97 % chg 59,220 57,048 62,041 +9% +13% 34,654 32,885 37,019 56,259* 54,196* 48,274* N/A 16,862 19,024 21,110 +11% 552 602 824** N/A 1,377 1,219 1,243** N/A Bonds Forfeited ----- $1,487,656 $1,707,267 +15% Bonds Collected $1,020,185 $1,246,223 $2,092,846 +68% Forensics Prescreens 546 405 514 +27% Rule 11 Exams Ordered 275 243 271 +12% 1,259 1,424 1,573 +10% Lower Court Appeals Civil and Criminal * In 1995 and 1996 “Total Defendants Interviewed by PSA” was estimated and calculated at 95% of “Total Defendants IA’d”. In January and February 1997 “Total Defendants Interviewed by PSA” was calculated at 80% and beginning in March 1997 Technical Support began counting actual PSA interviews. ** Estimate based on numbers through November 1997. CRIMINAL CASELOADS PER JUDGE* 1200 Average Felony Filings Per Judge* 1000 Average Number of Cases Disposed Per Judge* 800 600 Average Number of Defendants Awaiting Trial at End of Calendar Year, Per Judge 400 *Average per full-time judge dedicated to criminal department; excludes criminal presiding and associate presiding judges. 200 0 **Estimate through October 1997. 1995 1996 1997** OFFICE OF THE COURT INTERPRETER # of Appointments Criminal Juvenile # of Court Appearances Adult Juvenile 1995 2,405 1,648 757 n/a n/a n/a 1996 3,118 2,137 981 22,034 18,229 3,805 1997 4,994 3,216 1,778 30,625 26,617 4,008 96-97 % chg +60% +50% +81% +39% +46% +5% % chg Information provided by MaryLow Strehle and Carol Brown 16,244 1994 ORDERS OF PROTECTION 1993 15,196 1992 15,137 15,697 1991 15,336 1990 0 5,000 10,000 15,000 20,000 25,000 Type of Matter 1996 1997 OP Hearing Requested OP Hearing Commenced OP’s Issues OP’s Denied Emergency Orders Issued 1,221 945 2,952 313 314 1,297 1,087 3,005 267 333 +6% +15% +2% -15% +6% Information provided by Carla Boatner Maricopa County Justice System Activities Report Calendar Year 1997 ACTIVITIES REPORT 6 JUSTICE SYSTEM NEWS In past editions of the Activities Report, it was noted that the Board of Supervisors established a nine members Citizens Advisory Committee on Jail Planning. Members completed their charge in December of 1997, which was to explore and recommend options to the Board dealing with overcrowded adult jail and juvenile detention facilities. A team of national experts was hired to assist the Committee in reviewing present circumstances and recommending future actions. They conducted more than 100 interviews, assessed data and operations, audited conditions of facilities, assessed projected future demand and recommended actions for the criminal justice system as a whole, for the next 15 years. Findings by the Experts on the Juvenile System • The two current facilities were designed to hold 277 children, and consistently hold 350. • Between 1991 and 1996 there was a 40% increase in home detention and secure detention; a 47% increase in the number of juveniles on probation; and drug offenses were up 61%. • Admission rates are on average with the rest of the country and costs are well below the average. Committee Recommendations for the Juvenile System • Divert 150 youth from detention to community based programs: expand home detention, day reporting, intensive probation, electronic monitoring, drug treatment, Implement school based boot camp, drug court, pilot programs geared toward target population (i.e. truants, girls, family violence). • Construct 500 additional detention beds and more courts (add facilities to current operations at Durango and Southeast complexes). • Provide 48 residential treatment beds (either in community or as a County program). Findings by the Experts on the Adult System • System was designed to hold 5,300 inmates and regularly holds up to 7,000 - in October an all-time high of 7,134 was reached. • Federal lawsuit Hart v. Hill (MCSO) requires a lessening of jail overcrowding. • Maricopa detention costs are 60% lower than comparison counties. • Facilities are presently understaffed by $4.6 million. • Public policy options will help drive down the number of additional beds needed. Committee Recommendations for the Adult System • Construct two new jails for 5,507 additional beds: a 1,251 bed facility downtown with new intake and courts; a 4,256 bed complex at Durango with central support services (some are beds to replace antiquated County facilities). • Deal with the increase in drug offenses: enhance substance abuse evaluation and programming; add a pretrial Drug Court • Improve criminal case flow: integrate computer systems; multitrack cases; eliminate proceedings and transporting inmates to Justice Courts; move 5 criminal divisions downtown from Southeast. • Reduce the number of in-custody pretrial offenders where there is a reasonable risk (by increasing Pretrial Services staffing to supervise the defendants) • Phase-out older jails: re-use First Ave as a transport hub; replace tent housing in 10 years. Total Costs and Recommended Fund Source • Phase I - $474 million; Phase II - $375 million; Phase III $630 million. Total additional costs of $1.47 billion over 15 years (15 year cost of current operations - $1.5 billion). • The Citizens Advisory Committee recommended a sales tax not to exceed 1/3 cent, use of short-term financing, and reducing the sales tax after construction to fund operations and maintenance (requires Legislative and voter approval). The Board of Supervisors accepted the report of the Citizens Advisory Committee and on December 17, 1997, took action to seek legislative authority to implement the recommendations. Their request is to allow a public vote on up to a third of a cent sales tax to fund a portion or all of the facility and system recommendations, and/or bonding to fund a portion of the needs (capital) without raising real property tax rates. The Board also approved proceeding with professional programming services for the facilities recommended by the Committee. As can be seen, there are a number of recommended changes within the criminal justice system that the national experts advised would help speed case processing and reduce unnecessary time in jail. Several of the recommendations are already under way by Departments. Others will follow next fiscal year, while some require substantive investments which would be targeted for funding through the voter-approved (if approved) source. As of this printing, House and Senate Leaders have agreed to legislation that places the issue before the Maricopa County voters with amended financing terms. The funding stream would be limited to 9 years (rather than the original 15 years) producing $900 million (not $1.5 billion), with the sales tax authority capped at one-fifth of a cent. Efforts are underway to determine how to modify the implementation plan due to the reduced finances that would be available with a successful public vote. The Chairman of the Citizens Advisory Committee, attorney Tom Irvine, urged the Board and lawmakers to move expediently since the jail populations are reaching crisis proportions, and public safety will be challenged if major facilities are not built quickly. MARICOPA COUNTY JUSTICE SYSTEM ACTIVITIES REPORT Please note that minor differences in data reporting between departments are due to the point in time at when data is captured and processed, and variations in definitions. Compiled by Justice System Coordination. For information regarding departmental reporting and data please contact those representatives listed. For general information or questions regarding this document contact Trina Belanger (506-1310) or Dan Paranick (506-2274). • Maricopa County Justice System Activities Report Calendar Year 1997