Item B: Mid-Point Evaluation for Judge Allen

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procedures of the court and have revamped and improved those which needed work. Most of those projects have dealt with doing a better job of incorporating the diversity in our community and in improving an understanding of the court and its processes. I associate change with improvement and I find the best part of this job to be in suggesting or participating in improvements to the court. Throughout my tenure, the court has implemented diversion/education programs. The Court has implemented diversion-education programs for first time offenders who are charged with theft related offenses, minors charged with alcohol related offenses, and those charged with possession of less than one ounce of marijuana. These programs require defendant to enter a guilty plea but no sentence is imposed. Rather, there is a period of time during which the defendant must attend classes, pay a diversion fee, and refrain from similar activity. The theft related diversion also requires an attendance by the defendant at the court arraignment session in the Lane County Jail. In the event the defendant successfully completes the diversion program, the case is dismissed. The court also has an optional class for young driver improvement, and a mandatory class requirement for High Risk Drivers and for those minors who have multiple alcohol related offenses. We have also scheduled a specific court session for Spanish speaking citizens, Paso a Paso, at which we have interpreters and advocates for our Spanish speaking citizens. Each of these programs recognizes the expanding role of the court and the need for the court to be involved in education of the citizens of the community. Hopefully the educational portion of the program can be of significant benefit to both the defendant and the community. Unfortunately, the court does not have the ability to continue to implement diversion programs. I have a number of programs in mind that I would like to see explored and perhaps developed, but the court is at a point where it must grow in order for that to be a reasonable expectation. Section VI: Settlement Activities The settlement of cases is important. We would be clogged with cases in the event they could not be settled. We are fortunate to have prosecutors and defense counsel who can usually agree upon an appropriate disposition of the cases. We have implemented many specific court sessions to try to resolve cases which are traditionally resolved on the eve of trial. To settle those cases has allowed us to maintain our trial delay within reasonable limits. The special court sessions have proven to an effective aid in settling cases and keeping our docket current. Despite the increased volume of difficult cases which have come to the court by reason of the County’s financial difficulties, we have a current docket through extraordinary efforts by the Prosecutor and Defense Counsels offices. I should make clear however, that I do not always approve every proposed plea bargain. I believe one of my functions is to assure that individuals who are in approximately the same situation should receive approximately the same sentence from the court. There are always extenuating circumstances which must be taken into consideration, and rarely is one case a mirror image of another. If a plea bargain is proposed which is unduly harsh or lenient, when compared with similarly situated cases, I will not approve it. It does not promote confidence or respect for our court system for litigants to learn that others were treated differently. I have provided the Public Defender’s Office for the City and the City Prosecutor’s Office with suggested sentencing 2008 JUDICIAL PERFORMANCE REVIEW-4