Official: Fewer prisoners helps to save money
Corpus Christi Caller-Times
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A newly formed county court is helping to speed up the wheels of justice while lowering its jail population, court officials say.
Jail court, which began in October, is the result of a plan from the Council of Judges to lower the number of prisoners in the Nueces County Jail awaiting trials.
A visiting judge will preside over the court on the first and third Mondays of each month. The first jail court started Oct. 20.
Judge Nelva Gonzales Ramos, administrative judge for the local district judges, said she already has seen the benefits of jail court. One defendant who had been in jail for 260 days was sent to jail court and his case was disposed. By referring that case to jail court, the judge was able to try another case at the same time in her court. That defendant had been in jail for 163 days.
Nueces County Judge Loyd Neal said reduction of the jail population will save the county money.
“They’re getting people before them that had been in the jail for months,” Neal said.
Ramos said the Commissioners Court allocated about $71,000 for the jail court, which will be used to pay the visiting judges. There is no additional cost to the county for staffing the jail court because existing resources are being used -- but some planning is required.
Ramos’ court manager handles the referrals for cases from the district courts and prepares the lists of cases for jail court. The court administrator also makes sure there is a court reporter, clerk and bailiff available for each jail court.
The jail court’s location will depend on which courtroom is available that week, Ramos said.
One man who was tried in jail court was acquitted of driving while intoxicated. He had been in jail awaiting a trial for 139 days. District Judge Tom Greenwell said without the jail court, that defendant’s trial likely would have been reset because he already had a jury trial in his court that week.
On Wednesday, there were 855 county prisoners in jail. Of those, 343 inmates had felony indictments and were awaiting trials, according to a jail report.
District Judge Sandra Watts said the number of those pending cases means defendants who are out on bond often have to wait even longer for a trial.
“We’re moving these cases, but we can only try one at a time,” Watts said.
During October, the jail population was as high as 91 percent. As of Wednesday, that figure had dropped to 85 percent.
Watts said those numbers are an encouraging sign, but added it is going to be an ongoing effort by all the courts to tackle the issue.
Each participating district judge is responsible for choosing which felony cases from his or her court to refer to the jail court. Those referrals must be cases that were scheduled for trial that week but were not reached by the district court.
The cases then are handled by a visiting judge based on which defendants have been in jail the longest.
Court officials said the number of cases disposed in the new court each week will vary because some defendants will want a trial and others may take a plea agreement or make an open plea. Any cases not reached are sent back to the original district court for a new trial date.
Seven of the eight district courts have signed on to send cases to the jail court. District Judge Jose Longoria said the 214th District Court is not participating.
“I’ve got my own system and it runs efficiently,” Longoria said.
Copyright 2008 SCRIPPS Howard Publications