Pubdate: Wed, 23 Mar 2005
Source: Island Packet (SC)
Copyright: 2005, The Island Packet
Contact:  http://www.islandpacket.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1514

NEW TACTICS MAKE SENSE FOR CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

Priority Set On Closing Cases, Repeat Offenders

Beaufort County citizens won in the court of common sense last week, thanks 
to innovative work by the solicitor's office.

Beaufort County General Sessions Court dedicated a full court term to drug 
cases -- a first for the court.

And the solicitor's office set a priority of dealing with career criminals 
first.

That results in a more realistic chance for defendants to get the swift and 
fair justice Americans expect. And it ultimately could result in safer 
streets and neighborhoods.

With the criminal justice system strapped for money and struggling to keep 
its head above a rising tide of work, the new approach also reflects a 
better use of existing resources. It will take that and more to fix a 
system that S.C. Chief Justice Jean Toal recently warned lawmakers needs a 
serious influx of capital.

Toal told the General Assembly that the Family Court system is so 
overwhelmed it's like an assembly line. Important decisions are being made 
without the face-to-face discussions that should be taking place. She said 
the system needs more judges, for both the Family Court and Circuit Court. 
While the number of cases going to court has risen steadily, the number of 
judges is the same today as it was a decade ago, she said.

Randolph Murdaugh III, solicitor of the 14th Judicial Circuit, including 
Beaufort County, asks each year for more money from the county to handle 
his growing load of work.

With this backdrop, it is refreshing to see Assistant Solicitor Duffie 
Stone of Hilton Head Island instigate changes to cut into the backlog of 
pending cases. If it helps to address a large number of drug-related cases 
in a single court session, do it.

It certainly helps the general public if the courts take the cases of 
repeat offenders ahead of others.

Stone said, "The real impact of drugs on Beaufort County is the violence 
that follows. The fact that you get a drug dealer who's charged with a 
shooting is not surprising."

Citizens, and law enforcement officers who risk their lives to step into 
these violent situations, also deserve swift and fair justice from the 
courts. They deserve to see a priority placed on ridding the streets of 
repeat offenders whose drug activity often leads to deadly violence.

The court system is going to need more resources as long as increasing 
numbers of people demand its attention. And it is going to need to be 
judicious in how it moves cases. Common sense prevailed in the recent term 
of General Sessions court in Beaufort.
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MAP posted-by: Beth