New Liaison for TACA

Justice Debra H. Lehrmann is the new liaison for TACA. Please welcome her on her new duties. To see her accomplishments visit here.

Missouri judges get penalty cost before sentencing

It is the first state to provide judges with defendant-specific data on what particular sentences would cost the taxpayers, and on the likelihood that the person in the dock will reoffend.

Not everyone is happy about it.

"I don't think it has any purpose in a process of balancing justice," complained Jack Banas, the St. Charles County prosecuting attorney. "Justice doesn't come down to dollars and cents. You have to look at the system as a whole picture."  Read More...

Justice by the Numbers

Rochester

In communities across the country, people use statistics on hospitals, schools and other public services to decide where to live or how to vote. But while millions of Americans deal with their local criminal courts as defendants and victims each year, there is no comparable way to assess a judicial system and determine how well it provides basic legal services.

This lack of data has a corrosive effect: without public awareness of a court system’s strengths and weaknesses, inefficiencies and civil liberties violations are never remedied.  Read More...

Dallas County criminal court records now available to public online

Dallas County is now one of the few places in Texas where you can get online access to court documents for free.

District Clerk Gary Fitzsimmons and County Clerk John Warren have worked together for months to provide the service. It's part of Fitzsimmons' electronic filing initiative in which court papers are filed electronically with no paper file...read more

Dear TACA Membership,

I hope everyone had a fun and safe holiday. I am sending out this message to remind everyone of the upcoming deadline for scholarship applications. Knowing how tight budgets are right now this is a great way to get to conference. The deadline for submitting your application is August 15th.
FOUNDERS SCHOLARSHIPS
Three scholarships in honor of founding members Martin Allen, Bob Wessels and longtime TACA supporter Trisha Hall were established in 1996 to commemorate TACA’s 20th anniversary. Founders Scholarships shall be used to attend the TACA Annual Education Conference. TACA will waive the conference registration fee. The TACA Treasurer will reimburse the scholarship recipient for travel, meals and lodging associated with the conference according to the Travel Policy up to an amount not to exceed $750.

GOODWILL SCHOLARSHIPS
In 2004, TACA members began a fund-raising effort that now supports Goodwill Scholarships established to assist members with the costs of attending the TACA Annual Education Conference. These scholarships are funded from monies outside of the TACA budget and are available based on fund-raising from year to year. Goodwill Scholarships shall be used to attend the TACA Annual Education Conference. TACA will waive the conference registration fee. The TACA Treasurer will reimburse the scholarship recipient for travel, meals and lodging associated with the conference according to the Travel Policy up to an amount not to exceed $750.
Applications for the Goodwill Scholarships shall be received by the Scholarship Committee Board Liaison on or before August 15 of each year.

Thank You,

Randy Walker

TACA Blog and Facebook Page Up and Running Again

With the departure of Vanessa Farmer, as our Secretariat, we have been shuffling some of the administrative duties she handled. To that end, we have now got the TACA Facebook page and the TACA Blog back up and rolling. Please take the time to visit them and make use of a great networking tool. Leave an article, reconnect with a friend and colleague, or just make someone else smile. We need all the tools we can get, let’s make use of these.

You can locate our Facebook page HERE!

You can locate our Blog HERE!

First Texas Court Management Class Graduates

In June of 2009, the Texas Center for the Judiciary and the Texas Association for Court Administration (TACA) convened the first class of the Texas Court Management Program(TCMP). June 17th, 2010, during the Professional Development Program (PDP), in Austin, the first TCMP class completed their course of study and graduated. This is a monumental event for court mangment and administration in Texas. With the completetion of this first course, these Texas court professionals have raised the bar for education.

The graduation ceromonies, held at the Westin at the Domain, in Austin, were officiated by Ms. Mary Kay Bickett, Executive Director of the Texas Center for the Judiciary. Also in attendance were Carl Reynolds (Office of Court Administration), Dale Kasparek (National Center for State Courts), Walt Natemeyer, Ph.D. (TCMP Faculty) and Bob Wessels (Harris County Court Manager). The keynote speaker for the ceremonies was Chief Justice Wallace Jefferson of the Texas State Supreme Court.

This was a great accomplishment for the participants. The program was divided into five parts. The first two portions were at PDP, June 2009. The second two in conjunction with the annual education conference last year in Corpus Christi and the concluding seminar at PDP this June. Hats off to these few who have charted the course for the rest of us.

Dallas Sets Up Special Court To Expedite Property-Crime Cases

Dallas County hopes it has found a new way to clear up clogged jails and hasten trials for several hundred repeat offenders believed responsible for most of the property crime in the area, reports the Dallas Morning News. In an emergency meeting, county criminal justice officials decided to create a special court that will focus on moving cases faster and probably hand out stiffer sentences, which Dallas police have been seeking. Officials hope to have the new court up and running in two or three weeks. "We're saying, 'You want to go to trial? Let's go,' " said county Commissioner John Wiley Price.

The jails' population has soared the past several months, putting pressure on county officials to find enough guards to meet state staffing requirements. It also comes at a time when the county is finishing installation of important fire safety systems in its largest jail - expected to result in a passing state inspection for the first time since 2003. One of the largest categories of inmates is those awaiting trial on state jail felonies - the lowest-level felony offense. Among them are career criminals who repeatedly burglarize homes and businesses. Dallas police say such criminals are a big factor in the city's high crime rate. Police have identified about 500 criminals who are responsible for more than half of all property crimes. Because there are more important cases awaiting trial, some offenders sit for months awaiting trial. Some of their lawyers know this and game the system. They tell clients to reject plea deals up front, knowing that it'll take months to schedule a trial. After six months, they will take a plea deal for time already served in the jail and are released to commit more crimes.

NCSC's, "Steps to Best Practices for Court Building Security."

"The National Center for State Courts (NCSC), through its Court Consulting Division, has conducted security assessments of court buildings as well as personal security and safety training throughout the country. In conducting court building assessments, the NCSC assessment team has evaluated court security in terms of "best practices" – guidelines describing those security measures that should be in place with respect to a comprehensive set of topics covering court buildings and court operations. These best practices are not only based on the considerable experience of NCSC assessment team members, but are also a compilation of various guidelines from the U.S. Marshals Service, National Sheriffs’ Association, International Association of Chiefs of Police, the Transportation Safety Administration, the Department of Homeland Security, and the National Association for Court Management. The NCSC assessment team recommends that leadership in every court building strive to achieve best practices in all topic areas to provide a suitable level of security for all those who work in or visit the court building. "

TACA Featured in NACM's "Court Express"

New Supreme Court Liaison Justice Eva M. Guzman

The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Texas appoints the various justices to serve as liaisons between the supreme court and various judicial entities across the state. This is done in an effort to address issues and promote communication among the judiciary and the various elements and organizations serving the a...dninistration of justice in this great state of ours. Justice Eva M. Guzman has been assigned as TACA's Liaison with the Supreme Court of Texas. This appointment ensures optimum communication between our respected organization and the Supreme Court.

CACM Suggested Jury Instructions Help Deter Juror Use of Electronic Technologies

At its December 2009 meeting, the Judicial Conference Committee on Court Administration and Case Management (CACM) endorsed a set of suggested jury instructions that district judges should consider using to help deter jurors from using electronic technologies to research or communicate about cases on which they serve. The suggested instructions are included as Attachment 1.

The CACM Committee developed these instructions to address the increasing incidence of juror use of such devices as cellular telephones or computers to conduct research on the Internet or communicate with others about cases. Such use has resulted in mistrials, exclusion of jurors, and imposition of fines. The suggested instructions specifically inform jurors that they are prohibited from using these technologies in the courtroom, in deliberations, or outside the courthouse to communicate about or research cases on which they currently serve.

Text Extracted from http://www.uscourts.gov/newsroom/2010/DIR10-018.pdf

Texas Forum on Self-Represented Litigants

Registration is now open for the April Texas Forum on Self-Represented Litigants and the Courts in Dallas.

Link is www.TexasCourtForum.org

TACA has a Facebook Group!

TACA now has a group on Facebook where approved members can post discussion questions, get feedback and interact with other TACA members!

Want to join?

1. You must first be a Facebook member (you can create an account by logging onto www.facebook.com).
2. Once you join, or if you are already a member, log into Facebook and search for TACA (or the Texas Association for Court Administration).
3. Click on the group once you find it.
4. Click on the "Join" button.
5. Wait for confirmation of approval.

Only approved members can see the contents of the group page, meaning if you're not a member, all you will be able to see is the logo and description.

As always, please use your discresion when posting to any public group. TACA is a professional organization and the site will be moderated to assure that any information on the group page reflects positively on the Association.

Worried about your Facebook privacy? Here's and article you might find interesting: http://www.allfacebook.com/2009/02/facebook-privacy/