Senate Journal: Page 47: Wednesday, January 10, 1996

         We have other examples of our commitment to effective fine
    enforcement. However, now its time for a dose of reality so the visions
    of dollar signs dont cloud our collective good judgment. The types of
    procedures I mentioned earlier add to the already heavy workload of our
    courts. They take time away from other priorities. Furthermore, it would
    not be cost effective to spend our valuable resources on cases in which
    the cost of collecting a fine far exceeds the fine itself. And finally,
    there are some people who, no matter what steps are taken, just cannot
    be made to pay off their debt. Im talking about transients; people who,
    for whatever reasons, dont have any money; and people serving time in
    prison. For all these reasons, we must not view the annual tally of
    unpaid fines and fees as an unlimited vein of revenue just waiting to be
    mined.

         There is another area in which weve also made positive strides. Im
    pleased to report our progress in responding to the recommendations of
    our Domestic Abuse Task Force. Under the leadership of many judges, and
    with the help of Jennifer Juhler, our domestic abuse intervention
    coordinator, local community domestic abuse coalitions have been created
    around the state. The purpose of the coalitions is to promote a
    community response to the problem of domestic abuse. We have also
    sponsored domestic abuse round table discussions in all of our judicial
    districts. Weve been working closely with the Department of Public
    Safety to create a statewide domestic abuse registry. The registry will
    provide law enforcement officers around the state with the most current
    information on protective orders.

         Were making other substantial advances with the help of technology.

         Our court computer system, the Iowa Court Information System or
    ICIS, is making us more efficient and effective. It also serves the
    needs of and assists other government departments. For example:

         Were sending criminal disposition data to the Department of Public
    Safety and the Department of Corrections through our network.

         In a few months, well be linked by computer with the Department of
    Transportation so it can get traffic and criminal case information from
    the courts electronically.

         And weve developed a new program to assist county treasurers to
    stop the renewal of vehicle registration of persons who have unpaid
    fines.

         Technology also can help relieve the record storage problems of
    county courthouses. Most of Iowas courthouses are bursting at the seams
    with old records. Records are stacked from floor to ceiling, piled in
    attics and basements, and crammed in garages and storage buildings.
    Counties are simply running out of space. Records stored in poor
    conditions are deteriorating quickly. Imaging technology may be one
    solution to this problem. We decided to find out.

         Last March, the Sac County clerks office, with the help of many
    volunteers, started purging court files. Purging means removing from a
    file, and destroying, records which have no legal value. Once this was
    finished, the files were ready to be reproduced. A document imaging

Iowa General Assembly

Index: Senate Journal (76th General Assembly: Session 2)

© 1996 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

Comments? sjourn@legis.iowa.gov.

Last update: Mon Jan 15 12:25:09 CST 1996
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