Detroiters looking for good news in this holiday season will find much to cheer about in reforms made at Detroit’s 36th District Court — including the court’s cutting $5.5 million to operate within its budget.
Judge Michael J. Talbot, the court’s special judicial administrator, said that, “While much remains to be done, this court has made huge strides, becoming much more efficient, service-oriented, and fiscally responsible.”
Talbot was appointed by the Michigan Supreme Court to administer the 36th District Court in the wake of a May 2013 report by the National Center for State Courts. The NCSC found that the 36th District Court was in crisis, identifying many problems — millions of dollars in repeated budget overruns; lack of leadership; poor public service; inadequate use of technology; poor docket management, causing delays and other problems; and more.
Talbot credited Chief Judge Nancy M. Blount, Chief Judge Pro Tem Prentis Edwards Jr., and others at the court for helping to make the turnaround possible. “We have a great team, and we’re going to accomplish even more in 2014,” he said.
Among the court’s reforms:
The court is now operating within budget. At the time of the NCSC report, the 36th District Court was operating $5 million above its appropriated budget and had operated millions of dollars over budget for a number of years, Talbot said. Under Talbot’s leadership, the court cut its projected expenditures by $5.5 million from 2012/13, allowing it to operate below its appropriated 2013/14 budget of $31.7million.
New leadership. The NCSC report expressed concern that the then-chief judge and court administrator were not capable of making needed reforms. In August, the Supreme Court appointed Blount, a well-respected 30-year veteran of the 36th District Court, as the new chief judge. Other leadership changes included hiring Kelli D. Moore, formerly the director of the Wayne Circuit Court’s criminal division, as the court’s new administrator.
Better customer service. Long lines and a confused, unwelcoming lobby area stymied those who came to court to pay tickets or find out which courtroom they should go to. Dedicating courtrooms to specific types of cases, plus electronic docket callboards and notices that include the assigned courtroom, have drastically reduced lines and crowding.
Timely hearings for prisoners support public safety. Formerly, a 9:30 a.m. deadline for arraignment paperwork made it tough for prosecutors to meet that deadline in trying to arraign numerous defendants. On the NCSC’s recommendation, the 36th District Court now conducts arraignments twice a day, plus after-hours as needed, and holds weekend/holiday arraignments at the 34th District Court in Romulus. “These measures have significantly reduced the number of prisoners released by the Michigan Department of Corrections because they were not arraigned within 72 hours of their arrest,” Talbot noted.
Another reform ensures more timely preliminary exams in criminal cases, which formerly were frequently, repeatedly adjourned for weeks or months — in some cases, up to two years. As a result, a number of defendants were held for the maximum time in jail, then released back into the community without either being bound over for trial or having their charges dismissed. Now, all felony preliminary examinations, except for those in domestic violence cases, are conducted at Frank Murphy Hall of Justice by designated 36th District judges. This step, plus a “crash docket” for cases with the longest delays, eliminated the preliminary exam backlog. “Not only is this development good for public safety — it also saves taxpayer dollars,” said Talbot.
Civil infraction docket means tickets get paid, less court time for law enforcement. Formerly, the 36th District Court used to require the ticketing officer to appear in court for traffic tickets and other civil infractions; the officer’s failure to appear meant the ticket would be dismissed. But now, in conjunction with the Detroit Police Department, the 36th District has a prehearing docket for civil infractions, where those with tickets can resolve them by meeting with a DPD representative. About 80 percent of civil infractions are resolved through the prehearing docket. “Offenders get a prompt resolution, police officers spend more time on the road instead of in court, and the court holds more offenders accountable,” Talbot explained.
As-Needed Jury Program cuts costs, saves Detroiters’ time. About 4,500 Detroit citizens were called for jury duty by the 36th District Court each year — but the court only held 10-12 jury trials per year. Now, through the “As-Needed Jury Program,” the 36th District Court calls jurors only when needed, through the cooperation of the Wayne Circuit Court’s Criminal Division; Detroit jurors are called from the Wayne Circuit pool. Through this
change, the 36th District Court is saving hundreds of thousand of dollars in juror payments — and being respectful of Detroit citizens’ time.
Collections boosted, public service improved through Out-County Collections
Program. In six months, the Court has improved its collection efforts through the “Out County Collections Program,” which allows those with outstanding monies owed to the 36th District Court to pay their fines, costs, and fees at any Wayne County district court to expedite processing. In exchange for providing the service, the partnering district court receives 50 percent of the remaining fines and costs after mandatory fees are subtracted. Anecdotal reports indicate that a number of people are reinstating driver’s licenses and clearing their records through this program. In addition, the court has dedicated a judge to the collections effort; the judge helps offenders work toward an appropriate resolution of all open matters, depending on ability to pay.
A top priority for 2014: “Clarify the next fiscal year’s budget,” Talbot said. “We also need to establish long-term labor agreements, secure financing for short-term jail stays, and continue to strengthen our management team.”
Other future planned reforms include:
• Payment kiosks for tickets. By January 2014, the court will have installed three payment kiosks on the court’s first floor to accept payment for civil infractions and give the public an alternative to waiting in line to pay;
• Operations audit. The review will cover every court department and function “to see where we need to make changes and improve efficiency,” Talbot explained.
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