#WeekInJustice: Week 159
I’ve mentioned here in the Weekly a growing concern in Superior Court about the Court’s attempts to get the criminal docket moving as quickly as possible. Efficiency is a valued goal and can save taxpayer money, but any time a human system is rushing toward completion, errors will occur. I remain concerned about victim impact, about the possibility of unintentional disclosure violations and lost evidence, and from a humanitarian standpoint, it’s hard to watch these already overworked attorneys looking at being double and triple booked on jury trials as far as the eye can see. So, on Wednesday, I visited the Supreme Court to discuss alternatives that might help with the backlog without breaking the system.
In other news,
• Love of Reading month has launched, and we spent the morning at Grijalva Elementary reading to 3rd and 4th graders. It was pure joy.
• We visited Barrio Hollywood last night to deliver the Year End Review and check-in on west side needs. One of their neighborhood parks in particular is in continuous need, and so we touched base with our TPD area partners.
• We opened a new respite room for Homicide Survivors to use before and after court hearings for victims.
• And we are in FULL SWING with recruitment season. At the UA alone, we just received 38 applications for our summer law clerk program, and we’ll be interviewing up at the other school in Phoenix next week as well.
To be continued,
Laura
