Senate Journal: Page 62: Wednesday, January 13, 1999

  assessment of the situation when I say, "I have seen the future and it does
  not
  compute."  But I assure you that we are prepared.  Our critical software
  applications
  have been upgraded to understand the year 2000.  And if that does not work,
  I have a
  large stockpile of sharpened pencils!

  We are preparing our courts to meet the challenges of the future.  But we
  must not
  overlook the challenges of today, for they will not simply disappear come
  January 1,
  2000.  Only with your assistance can we overcome our most immediate
  challenge -
  coping with high caseloads.

  This is not a new development.  Indeed, a few years ago, I reported to you
  about the
  court system's struggle with rising caseloads.  You helped ease the
  situation
  temporarily by providing some new judgeships throughout the state over a
  period of
  three years and we greatly appreciate that assistance.  Nonetheless, as the
  tide of
  cases rises, the demand for judges continues to exceed our supply.

  As in the past, our criminal and juvenile caseloads are the most demanding.
  Caseload statistics, however, do not illustrate the problems as well as
  personal
  accounts from our trial judges who are on the front lines.  So rather than
  recite
  statistics,  I ask that you carefully study the information provided with
  these remarks.

  Swift court action is one of the most effective deterrents to crime.  Long
  time lags
  between conviction or plea of guilty and sentencing undermine the
  effectiveness of the
  punishment and ultimately the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.
  Here are
  some examples of sentencing delays around the state.

  In the district associate court in Black Hawk County, criminal cases are so
  backed
  up at times that it takes three months after conviction or entry of a guilty
  plea before a
  defendant can be sentenced.

  A similar situation exists in Johnson County district associate court where
  there is
  a six to eight week delay from entry of a guilty plea until sentencing.

  In Polk County district court, the state's busiest courthouse, the number of
  felony
  drug cases and class "A" felony cases have quadrupled since 1990.  Because
  of the high
  felony caseload, there is an eight to nine week delay from entry of a guilty
  verdict until
  sentence in these most serious cases.

  This session as you consider tougher penalties or sentencing options, please
  understand that due, in part, to a shortage of judges we cannot carry out
  sentencing in
  as timely a manner as basic justice clearly demands.

  Like the criminal caseload, our trial courts are also struggling with a
  burdensome
  juvenile caseload.  And we anticipate more pressure on the juvenile docket
  in the near
  future as we implement new state and federal time lines to move children out
  of foster
  care faster and into permanent homes.

  There are special problems in the juvenile court.

  In Benton County, for example, where a judge is available for juvenile cases
  a little
  more than two days per month, juvenile hearings are scheduled every fifteen
  minutes.
  According to Judge Susan Flaherty who hears cases in Benton County and

© 1999 Cornell College and League of Women Voters of Iowa

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