Item B: Judicial Evaluation Committee Report

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· expansion of case types heard in municipal court due to service reductions at the DA's office and Circuit Court, . lack of and cost of jail space, · lack of adequate court space for jurors and staff, · staffing levels to keep pace with police hiring, · desire from prosecutors and police for more civil compromises and diversion alternatives, · planning to eventually meet the criteria to be a court of record. All of the comments received are included in the compiled survey responses attached. Judge Allen was asked to respond and comment when the committee met with him. DISCUSSION WITH JUDGE ALLEN On April 19 the committee met with Judge Allen to discuss the survey results with him. He shared with us his goals as presiding judge, his assessment of changes over the past four years to address areas of improvement in the court, and his reaction to the survey data and comments. Below is a summary of the main points of our discussion: Areas of Improvement Since 2002 . Implementation of Mental Health Court diversion program has greatly improved the court's ability to deal effectively with defendants' underlying problems and to prevent recidivism. . Update of the court's Spanish Informational Video with a new production that involved over a dozen community people and produced two videos--one for educational purposes in the community explaining the court process, and one to use at the Paso a Paso Spanish arraignment sessions. . Implementation of several technology enhancements to improve service to the community who need to conduct business with the court, such as paying parking fines on-line. Significant Issues Since 2002 . The most significant issue faced by the court since 2002 is the impact of service reductions and case filings of serious, non-violent misdemeanors by the DA's office into Circuit Court. In 2005 City Council adopted new offenses into the City Code to allow some of these cases to be filed in municipal court. Key Issues for the Court . On-going funding for Mental Health Court is part of the FY07 Proposed Budget under consideration. . The need for Spanish interpreter services is growing and the available local pool of State-certified court interpreters is small. The law allows "qualified" interpreters in some situations, but does not define "qualified" or set standards. Eugene Municipal Court is exploring the possibility of setting its