Pubdate: Tue, 20 Jun 2000 Source: Idaho State Journal (ID) Copyright: 2000 Idaho State Journal Contact: PO Box 431, Pocatello ID 83204 Fax: 208-233-8007 Website: http://www.journalnet.com/ NOW IS A GOOD TIME TO DECIDE HOW TO HANDLE CRIME If the burgeoning case load weighing down prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges in the 6th Judicial District is any indication, the scales of justice may be tipping the wrong way. The number of criminal cases tried in Bannock County rose from 658 in 1990 to 1,034 in 1999 - more than a 60 percent increase. At the same time, the budget for the Bannock County Prosecutor's Office went from $477,449 in fiscal 1991 to $798,266 in fiscal 2000 for an equivalent increase. But the budget for the Bannock County Public Defender's Office, created in fiscal 1996, went from $524,028 that fiscal year to only $594,301 in fiscal 2000. Suzanne Johnson, 6th District trial court administrator, says the case load for public defenders has doubled in recent years, based on cases assigned to particular judges. Defendants are assigned public defenders when they can't afford their own legal counsel. "It's hard to tell whether there are more cases or it's a situation with people's personal lives. It's all bound by finances," Johnson says, noting not everyone assigned a public defender is indigent. If defendants can afford it, they are put on a payment plan to reimburse the county for the use of public defenders. Johnson estimates that misdemeanors went up by 1,000 cases from 1998 to 1999. Drug cases went up by about 20 during that period, but there was a slight decline in felony DUIs. Another point to consider: while the case load hasn't gone up substantially, the types of crimes prosecuted have changed, taxing the time of the legal system, especially of public defenders. Cases are more complex because of increased laws, sentencing requirements and follow-up. "We're just seeing a different type of crime pattern that uses the system more," Johnson says. Drug and DUI cases are the most difficult because they require "heavy-duty treatment" for suspects to get out of the system. Legislative and county programs have helped reverse an increase in juvenile crimes, but they're still high, Johnson says. She cites the types of cases that involve most of the resources of the courts, prosecutors and defenders. The following is how the case loads of various crimes changed from 1991 to 2000. Cases as of April 30 were projected to the end of 2000: 6th District: Drug felonies, 70 to 339; DUI felonies, 98 to 75; Drug misdemeanors, 72 to 756; DUI misdemeanors, 1,540 to 1,305, and Youth Rehabilitation Act cases, 1,149 to 1,896. Bannock County: Drug felonies, 62 to 246; DUI felonies, 91 to 75; drug misdemeanors, 60 to 522; DUI misdemeanors, 1,259 to 1,020, and Bannock Youth Rehabilitation Act cases, 842 to 1,389. Johnson suggests four possible ways to relieve the burden: Provide more money for inpatient and outpatient treatment centers, possibly using tobacco settlement money. Implement a drug court for defendants convicted of drug and alcohol crimes, routing them immediately to treatment to short-circuit the cycle. Hire more personnel to lighten the case load. Help young people make positive life choices, including identifying those at risk. As the Pocatello area grows, crime also will increase with the population. The case load inevitably also will get heavier. All four of the possible solutions warrant consideration. - --- MAP posted-by: greg