2 Innovative San Diego Court Programs Praised

A San Diego County “drug court,” hailed by a national association as a law enforcement innovation, slashed the time some repeat offenders spend in local jails, county officials said at a news conference Tuesday.

The Superior Court also was honored by the National Assn. of Counties for its fast-track program, which disposes of 90% of all civil cases within 24 months, and its independent calendar program, under which civil cases are assigned to a single judge until settlement or trial.

“We can speed ways to bring those who commit crimes to justice,” said County Supervisor Susan Golding, who proposed the Probation Revocation Court, known as the “drug court.”

“I think this is an example that San Diego can be proud of. It continues the tradition of innovative and progressive solutions this county is known for.”

Created in November, 1989, the drug court handles repeat drug offenders accused of violating their court-ordered probations, usually by returning to drug use or by committing a drug-related crime. Instead of retrying the suspects, Dist. Atty. Edwin Miller’s staff takes such cases to the drug court, where probation is quickly revoked and the offender is returned to state prison.

During the first year of its operation, the court was responsible for reducing the number of days that repeat offenders spent in county jails from an average of 121 days to an average of 40, saving the county $3.8 million, said Judith McConnell, presiding judge of the county Superior Court. Of the 800 cases completed in the court to date, 676 have ended with a felon being sent to state prison.

Miller said probation revocations are easier to prove and are governed by more liberal rules on use of evidence than criminal trials for repeat offenses.