Minnesota State Courts | 2003 Annual Report

Exploring Alternative Solutions to Increasing Caseloads

Each Minnesota judge handles nearly 8,000 cases a year, and the court system expects to see caseloads continue to increase. Statewide, major criminal cases alone have increased 15 percent in the past five years. Meanwhile, state revenues have decreased, forcing all branches of government to use resources more carefully. The Judicial Branch continues to search for alternative solutions to resolve disputes efficiently and that better serve the public.

Fighting Drug and Alcohol Abuse

Statewide

In 2003, seven drug courts operated in Minnesota, including Hennepin County’s adult program, Ramsey County’s adult and juvenile programs, Dodge County’s adult and juvenile programs, Stearns County’s adult program and St. Louis County’s adult program. Six additional counties in the state have begun planning for new drug courts, which have been found to reduce recidivism and help offenders find the help they need to get their lives back on track.

Minnesota has also formed a state drug court team that includes representatives from the courts, corrections and public safety departments, public defenders, county attorneys, state legislators and others. Team members will be trained in 2004 to support the expansion of drug courts and help develop alcohol and other drug policy.

Ramsey County

Ramsey County’s Adult Substance Abuse Court received nearly $500,000 from the U.S. Department of Justice to continue its work started in October 2002. The court integrates chemical health services with the criminal justice system and uses best practices such as comprehensive assessment, gender-specific programming and skill-building programs. Once involved in the one- to two-year program, offenders must make regular court appearances, undergo substance abuse training and random urinalysis testing, abide by the laws, find a job or work toward a high school diploma, and pay restitution and program fees.

Ramsey County’s Juvenile Substance Abuse Court is in its second year and its graduates have shown a recidivism rate of about one-fifth the levels of other juvenile criminal defendants. The court has also led to longer sobriety for graduates.

Ramsey County District Court is also training and helping Hennepin and Dakota counties start their own substance abuse courts.

Chisago County

Chisago County District Court formed a countywide committee to improve how the justice system addresses juvenile chemical dependency issues. The committee includes judges, probation agents, human services personnel, prosecutors, public defenders, school officials, representatives of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, law enforcement agencies, treatment facilities and the community. The court has also taught programs about chemical abuse and has changed the juvenile court process to decrease delays between the dates of offense and the first court appearance.

Hennepin County

Hennepin County juveniles with offenses that involve chemical use are placed on a special court calendar so the court can more efficiently and effectively help them overcome their chemical dependency. As a result, young people receive chemical health assessments and referrals, and follow-up reviews in court that help them avoid future offenses.

Mediating Disputes for Families in Need

Stearns County District Court, along with the county’s Volunteer Attorney Program and members of the private bar, have formed the Volunteer Family Mediation Program to provide free mediation to low-income families. The program focuses on disputes over parent-child visits and on families seeking simplified divorces. Twenty-one attorneys, including retired Ramsey County District Judge Charles Flinn, have volunteered.

Resolving Violations, Giving Back to the Community

More than 700 people served their community to resolve outstanding adult traffic charges and misdemeanor traffic warrants during a summer Hennepin County Restorative Justice Initiative. The district court hosted the event with communities of faith, non-profit organizations, and business and neighborhood organizations.

Participants completed community service the same day the court ordered it. Representatives from various agencies were also available to help participants with driver’s licenses, birth certificates, Social Security issues, legal services for Family Court, chemical health concerns, housing and employment.

Increasing Accountability, Saving Taxpayer Money

Sherburne County

Sherburne County District Court’s Individual Assignment Calendar and other initiatives have succeeded in increasing accountability, saving taxpayer money and litigation expenses, and reducing disruption in the lives of people involved in disputes. The individual assignment calendar, in which one judge follows a case from beginning to end, has significantly reduced the number of necessary jury trials and increased the rate of early case resolutions by as much as 83 percent.

Other improvements include:

• Establishing in-court electronic calendars and computer-generated orders so judges and court staff can assign hearings with fewer conflicts and so people can immediately receive court orders;
• Creating a one-stop location for citizens to pay fines or negotiate payment schedules;
• Renovating the county law library to enhance legal research;
• Restructuring court check-in and creating a staging area for people involved in arraignment hearings to reduce courthouse confusion and congestion.

Chippewa, Lac Qui Parle, Yellow Medicine Counties

The Tri-County Arraignment Initiative, a cooperative effort among the three western Minnesota counties, has increased efficiency, reduced travel and trial costs, and led to prompt resolution of criminal cases. Under the system, arraignments are held on certain days in certain counties, which alleviates scheduling conflicts, brings all of the parties together in one location and facilitates settlement negotiations.

The result is faster case resolution and less time in court despite increasing caseloads and budget constraints. For example, while Chippewa County’s major criminal filings have increased 84 percent in the past five years and minor criminal filings have increased 55 percent, the number of criminal cases resolved within four, six and 12 months remain higher than the statewide average.

Improving Criminal Court Efficiency, Security

Steele County District Court opened a fully functional courtroom in the new county detention center that will be used for prisoner-related hearings. The courtroom allows unruly prisoners to testify from behind a glass wall and through an intercom system. In addition to improving security, the courtroom will decrease the costs involved in transporting prisoners to court.

Increasing Restitution for Victims

Dakota County District Court and Community Corrections teamed up to improve fine, fee and restitution collections for gross misdemeanor and felony crimes. The effort is expected to increase restitution collection for crime victims, increase the accountability of defendants who owe fines, provide a centralized department that monitors and collects fines and reduce the amount of time probation officers must spend on fine collection.

Helping Homeless Veterans

Hennepin County District Court participated in Minnesota StandDown, an annual event that helps homeless veterans put their lives back on track. The courts provided veterans an opportunity to appear before a judge, and with the assistance of other justice agencies, fulfill their obligations to the criminal justice system. Veterans who participate are generally sentenced to minimal fines and community service, or their cases are dismissed.

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